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Birds. 8889 
furnished with a small and somewhat rounded knob.— Henry L. Saxby ; Baltasound, 
Shetland, November 9, 1863. 
' Pallas’ Sand Grouse breeding in Denmark.—I have much pleasure in giving you 
all the information in my power respecting the breeding of Syrrhaptes paradoxus in 
~ Denmark. On the Ist of August Professor Reinhardt, of Copenhagen, wrote to me , 
that at least six or seven nests had been found in Jutland. He had received four eggs 
thence. As in Pterocles, three is the regular number laid in each nest. Both sexes 
assist in incubation. I have written for further details, and mainly on account of their 
nou-arrival, I have deferred till our April number the article on Syrrhaptes which 
Dr. Sclater requested me to write for the ‘Ibis. The facts above mentioned I 
announced at the meeting of the British Association at Newcastle-on-Tyne, but the 
paper I then read was very short, and scarcely went into details. My chief object in 
drawing attention to the subject then, was, if possible, to stay the slaughter of our 
visitors; but I fear, from what has since transpired, that I did no good. The reports 
given by the various newspapers were extremely inaccurate, and very much mis- 
Yepresented what I said — Alfred Newt¥n ; Magdalene College, Cambridge, December 6, 
1863. 
Sand Grouse in Caithness.—Two specimens of the sand grouse were procured in 
Caithness last summer, one being shot from a covey of ten or twelve birds, on the farm 
of Westerseat, near Wick, on the Sth of June. The second was shot a few weeks after 
on a piece of hilly ground about eight miles from Wick.—H. Osborne, jun.; Wick, 
November 21, 1863.—‘ Field.’ 
Sand Grouse near the Moray Firth—Around the sandy sbores of the Moray Firth 
at least three specimens of this rare visitor have been obtained ; doubtless many others 
have been associated with these. One was killed near Lossiemouth by a labourer who 
occasionally shoulders his fowling-piece: the particulars of the capture I have not 
ascertained. I saw a specimen of the sand grouse in the possession of Mr. M‘Leay, 
a taxidermist, living at Inverness: it was shot near Dornoch in August last. Ina 
note dated the 8th of December, Mr. M‘Leay states, “ I had another specimen (of sand 
grouse) in September, that was shot by some one of the Duke of Richmond’s party at 
Gordon Castle,—a female. The one I had before (from Dornoch) was a male. The 
female does not appear to have the pinnated feathers in the tail and wings.”—George 
Gordon; Manse of Birnie by Elgin, December 12, 1863. 
Sand Grouse in Cheshire—A fine male specimen of Pallas’ sand grouse (Syrrhaptes 
paradoxus) was shot early in this month near Leasowe Castle, by Mr. Simpkins, of 
_ Chester Street, Birkenhead, who has placed it in the hands of Mr. Newby for stuffing. 
I have seen it at Mr. Newby’s, and find it has the lengthened first primary in each 
Wing quite perfect, and the two central tail-feathers also perfect, the prolongations 
extending full five inches beyoud the rest of the tail. The plumage is, however, rather 
sooty-looking. This is the second occurrence of this bird in our district —Thomas J. 
Moore ; Derby Museum, Liverpool, November 20, 1863. 
Abundance of the Corn Crake.—With regard to the corn crake, I think I can afford 
some striking information. In the old stage-coach time I have travelled through 
a summer night, at the rate of eight miles an hour, without ceasing to hear for five 
successive minutes the dissonant discord of this singular bird: conceive by this fact 
the vast uumber of birds that I must have heard. The fact of their being singularly 
prolific I afterwards ascertained, on cutting some hay in a small field of less than an 
acre, when the mower’s scythe revealed two nests of this bird, with eggs to the number 
VOL. XXII. E 
