BIRDS. 189 



Swona. Two birds were picked up on June 14th, on the Pent- 

 land Skerries, besides those above mentioned, but too far gone 

 for preservation. 



Four were seen by Mr. M'Cree of the Commercial Bank, 

 Kirkwall, in the beginning of June, when fishing with Mr. 

 Irvine-Fortescue at the loch of Kirbister ; they passed about 

 fifty yards from him. 



On June 9th eight Sand Grouse were seen by Mr. Irvine- 

 Fortescue and Buckley at Swanbister, flying overhead in a 

 south-easterly direction, they were within a long shot ; every 

 now and then one would utter the call note. 



On June 17th Mr. Ranken saw about twenty birds at 

 Muddiesdale ; they were feeding in a flock like pigeons. The 

 people at the farm-house informed him that they had seen 

 something like two hundred Sand Grouse together ! Mr. 

 E-anken questioned them particularly to see if they could have 

 made any mistake, but no cross-examination could make them 

 alter their original statement. The people were old tenants of 

 Mr. Ranken's, and he had no reason to doubt their word. 



On June 19th two Sand Grouse were taken alive by Peter 

 Turfis on the estate of Tankerness. They had taken refuge in 

 a peat stack, and one had been injured by the telegraph wire : 

 the man took the birds to Mr. Cowan, who told him to take them 

 back to the place where he caught them and turn them loose, 

 which was done. Two or three days after that a flock of about 

 fifteen flew over Turfis's head. Mr. Cameron of Burgar, who 

 gave us the above information, was informed by Mr. Baikie of 

 Tankerness that the Sand Grouse had bred there. 



On June 21st Buckley saw four birds on Sanday, near the 

 Start lighthouse, flying south-east out to sea ; and the light- 

 keeper told him that a flock of about sixty had been there for 

 some time, but that he had not seen any since the previous 

 Monday, the 18th. They were pretty tame, and he often saw 

 them about the lighthouse ; he did not molest them himself, 

 but some were shot, and the hens were full of eggs. 



In a subsequent visit to that island we saw six stuffed Sand 

 Grouse in the possession of Mr. Lennie of Kettletoft, which 

 had been sent to him for preservation. 



