8o8 SAND-GROUSE 



(Santa Severa, not far from Rome) but in Spain (Albufera of 

 Valencia), that country being now invaded for the first time. If 

 records are to be trusted, flocks of many hundreds appeared on the 

 steppes of Orenburg at the end of February (qu. O.S. ?), all moving 

 due westward, and a month later a bird was killed at Saratov 

 (Baron A. von Kriidener, Zool. Gart. 1888, p. 282). On the 4th 

 April, from 30 to 40 were seen at Selb on the boundary of 

 Bohemia and Bavaria. On the 17th Husum in Sleswick was 

 reached, and Heligoland on the 8th May but there is reason to 

 believe that one of the Fame Islands was visited on the 6th, and 

 certainly within a very few days the British Islands were com- 

 pletely occupied, 1 while after that dates become of little value since, 

 as before, the movement was practically unchecked, though doubt- 

 less here and there affected in some measure by local causes. Just 

 as when a billow has broken upon the beach it is a thousand 

 accidents that determine the way in which the spray is scattered, 

 so was it with these birds, for no sooner had they arrived than 

 they were hastening in one direction or another in quest of food, 

 and with their wonderful wing-power the search was pretty easy. 

 A suitable place being found, they occupied it in parties of from 6 

 to 8, or 20 to 30 and so far as Britain is concerned it was plain 

 that they were nearly all paired and ready to breed. This object 

 they effected in several localities, both here and on the continent ; 

 but many false rumours, some of them intentionally set about, were 

 current. As regards England, two nests were certainly found in 

 the East Eiding of Yorkshire, 2 and in Scotland a young bird was 

 found by Mr. Scott, a gamekeeper, on the Culbin Sands in Moray. 

 This was not preserved, but in the following year he obtained 

 another, which was subsequently exhibited at the Newcastle meet- 

 ing of the British Association, and from it the first description and 

 figure of the chick were published. 3 Notwithstanding the destruc- 

 tion carried on, small parties or even considerable flocks were 

 observed from time to time during the autumn of 1888 in one part 

 of Europe or another, but gradually their numbers dwindled, and 

 the spring and summer of 1889 4 saw but few remaining. Some, 



1 Mr. W. Evans computes the garrison of Scotland at from 1500 to 2000 birds. 



2 I was indebted to the kindness of Mr. J. C. Swailes for the opportunity of 

 seeing the eggs there obtained. 



3 In numerous instances, especially in Germany, the young of Crex pratensis 

 seem to have been taken for those of Syrrhaptes. Some old birds taken alive 

 bred in the aviary of Herr J. B. Christensen, near Copenhagen, and after an 

 incubation of 23 days several eggs were hatched, from which, in 1891, one young 

 bird reached maturity, as he kindly informed me. In the zoological garden of 

 Amsterdam eggs were also laid and some hatched after an incubation of 28 days ; 

 but it does not appear that any produce was reared (Ibis, 1890, p. 466). 



4 In 1888 an Act of Parliament was passed to protect these birds, but as it 

 was not to come into operation until February 1889 it was a futile measure. 



