Letters, Extracts, Notices, i^c. 137 



half an hour was placed in the hands of my friend Mr. Tandy, 

 a young but zealous ornithologist. The third bird lingered 

 in the neighbourliood until the 22nd^ but escaped scathless. 

 Mr. Tandy's bird proved on dissection to be exceedingly fat; 

 its stomach contained the remains of vegetable substances. 

 It is in immature plumage. I may add that INIr, Bidwell 

 and other friends have examined the specimen, which is the 

 first authenticated example of the species obtained in the 



north-west of England. 



Yours &c., 



H. A. Macpherson. 



November 10, 1888. 

 Sir, — It may possibly not be altogether without interest 

 to British ornithologists to know that I was fortunate enough 

 to discover the nest of the Snow Bunting [Plectrophanes 

 nivalis) during the past summer in the north of Scotland. 

 The nest, wliicli contained five richly coloured eggs, was com- 

 posed of bents and moss, lined with a few Ptarmigan-feathers 

 and one or two small pieces of sheep's wool. These are, I 

 believe, the only eggs of this species that have been taken 

 on the mainland of Great Britain up to the present time. 



Yours &c., 



J. Y'^OUNG. 



22 Corporation Street, 



Belfast, Dec. 5, 1888. 



Sir, — Pallas's Sand Grouse continues to appear in this 

 neighbourhood. Three were brought in to a local bird-stuflfer 

 about a fortnight ago; and I had in my hand to-day a very 

 beautiful specimen (in the flesh) that had come in yesterday. 

 All four examples were from the co. Down. I lately saw in 

 CO. Tyrone a Long-tailed Duck [Harelda glaciatis), which 

 had been shot on a small lake in that county, about thirty 

 miles from the sea. Is not this unusual? 



Yours &c., 



R. Llovd Pattkrson. 



