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occurrence in Northamptonshire during that year. 

 At the close of the year above mentioned, Lord 

 Burghley informed me that two Sand-Grouse had 

 been killed during the previous summer upon Lord 

 Exeter's property near Stamford, and put me into 

 communication with a gamekeeper named John 

 Munton, who in reply to my enquiry wrote, under 

 date of February 4, 1889 : "Twelve of these birds 

 were first seen in a field on the Southorpe Mill Farm 

 on the last day of May, 1888, and again on June 1st; 

 on this latter day two of the birds were shot by a boy 

 in the employ of the occupier of the farm, the others 

 were not seen again." The writer subsequently sent 

 me the wings of one of these victims. My deeply- 

 lamented friend and former neighbour at Wadenhoe, 

 Mr. G. E. Hunt, called at Lilford on the evening of 

 July 29, 1888, and reported having just seen a 

 solitary Sand-Grouse in the meadow below Wadenhoe 

 House. This bird passed within fifteen yards of my 

 informant, flying comparatively slowly, and appeared 

 to have its feet clogged with clay ; it " chuckled " 

 loudly as it passed my informant. On July 31st 

 three birds, that, from the descriptions given to me, 

 can only have been Sand-Grouse, were seen flying 

 over the park at Lilford by one of our gamekeepers, 

 and later, on the same day, by Mr. Hunt's keeper 

 near Wadenhoe. On August 151 was assured by 

 Mr. W. Edwards, who has a fair acquaintance with 

 British birds, that he had that morning seen three 

 Sand-Grouse between Achurch and Thorpe Water- 

 ville. Mr. C. F. Dyer, formerly of Irthlingborough, 

 informed me, by letter, that whilst out Partridge- 

 shooting with some friends in that neighbourhood, on 

 September 7th, 1888, he twice flushed and distinctly 



