AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 285 



no means particularly easy to shoot ; a vast number 

 of cartridges and a considerable quantity of tobacco 

 are expended, and a long and " happy day in the 

 country" spent to some profit, for there are few 

 better birds for the table than the Turtle-Dove. Is 

 this a greater waste of time than shooting Pigeons 

 from traps surrounded by a crowd of betting ruffians 

 nearer home 1 



118. PALLAS'S SAND-GROUSE. 



Syrrhaptes paradoxus. 



In Prof. A. Newton's exhaustive article upon the 

 irruption of this Asiatic species into Europe, pub- 

 lished in 'The Ibis,' 1st series, vol. vi., will be found 

 a note to the following effect : " Peterborough, 

 15' W. One or two killed in May or June. No 

 other information. Mr. T. H. Allis, ' Zoologist,' 

 p. 8724." In reply to my enquiries concerning these 

 occurrences, I received from Mr. Bodger, Secretary 

 to the Peterborough Natural History Society, the 

 following extract from the ' Peterborough Advertiser,' 

 of June 20, 1863 : 



" Sara Avis. By some singular freak, nights of 

 Sand-Grouse from the steppes of Tartary have re- 

 cently visited this country, and even manifested a 

 disposition to remain here. One was shot in Thorney 

 Fen, where two or three more are believed to be still 

 at large, and it is to be hoped will be left undisturbed. 

 Mr. Holywell, of Wentworth Street, has two, which 

 he has been stuffing." 



The above is the only information which I have 

 hitherto been able to obtain concerning the occur- 



