Young of P 'alias's Sand- Grouse. 209 



" I had them in my hands,, and having seen the old birds 

 several times, as well as having them dead in my possession, 

 and knowing the peculiar foot they have got, I at once 

 examined the young ones' feet, and found the three small 

 toes, with the pad underneath the small foot, so that I could 

 not be deceived. I have not the slightest doubt but that they 

 were the young of the Sand-Grouse. I may mention that 

 I do not think they came to maturity, as I have often seen 

 the old birds without the young ; but that I cannot be sure 

 about, as I did not want to disturb them but as little as 

 possible. I should also have mentioned that, as far as 1 

 could judge, the birds would be about three or four days old 

 when I found them. You may make any use of this, as I 

 have given a true report of what I have seen." 



Again, in a letter to me, dated the 25th of the same 

 month, he added : — 



" The young Sand- Grouse, when I saw them first, were 

 crouching close to the ground, — were it not for a dog I 

 had with me, I might not have seen them. After I had 

 them in my hand and put them down, they crouched again 

 close to the ground. I did not look if there were any more 

 of the brood, as I was afraid I might tread on them. 



" The nature of the ground where they were found was 

 sand, with tufts of bent or long rough grass growing on 

 it, the same as generally grows on sand near the seaside/' 



On my making these statements known to Mr. Macpher- 

 son, he lost no time in going to Moray and in seeing Scott, 

 of whom he writes {op. cit. p. 27) : — "We put him through 

 a cross-examination, with the result that he fully confirmed 

 his oral and written statements previously received." 



Satisfied as I was in my own mind as to the truth of the 

 evidence just adduced, I could not but regret that no pro- 

 fessed ornithologist should have seen so interesting an object 

 as the young Syrrhaptes, and I feared that a grand oppor- 

 tunity, never to occur again, had been lost. However, about 

 noon on the 9th of August, 1889, there was delivered to me 

 a small box, marked outside " Live Bird." Accustomed as 

 I am to receive unexpected consignments of this kind, I of 



