Birds. 8957 
_ the question under consideration, could Mr. Norman separate the eggs of the 
ptarmigan, red grouse and willow grouse, if several of each species were thrown pro- 
-miscously together? I certainly think not, and yet by this means Mr. N. supposes 
the “‘ disputed question” may be settled. Further on in the “ Notes,” and speaking of 
the redwing, Mr. Norman says, ‘‘ Several times nests were found closely resembling 
those of the song thrush, with particles of blue eggs, undistinguishable from those of 
the thrush: these were, in all probability, nests of the redwing.” I have certainly 
never seen the nest and eggs of the redwing zn situ in the forests of Norway, but I 
have examined dozeus of eggs, said to be those of the redwing, and which were, to 
me at least, undistinguishable from eggs of the blackbird, except perhaps being 
slightly smaller. Mr. Hewitson, the best authority on British birds’ eggs, also figures 
it resembling the blackbird’s—Henry Reeks ; Manor House, Thruxton, January 4, 
1864. . _ 
[My valued correspondent Mr. Reeks approaches the grouse question as though it 
were recently imported into the pages of the ‘ Zovlogist.’ This he will find not the case; 
see Zool. 6209, 6242, 6264—6266. Mr. Wheelwright’s opinion, cited by Mr. Reeks, 
isthat of a sportsman rather than of a naturalist; and I think also it can only be 
cited as an individual opinion, not as settling the question ; thut will require far more 
research than the “Old Bushman” has brought to bear on this difficult question.— 
Edward Newman.) 
Pallas’ Sand Grouse in Norfolk and Suffolk.—Through the kindness of Mr. 
Southwell, of Fakenham, I am able to announce what I believe to be positively the 
last appearance of the sand grouse in Norfolk for the season of 1863. Mr. Dodman, 
of Titchwell, near Lynn, in a letter to Mr. Southwell, says, ‘“‘ The time of this sand 
grouse being procured was about the last week or end of November. From what 
I could learn it was a male bird. It was shot on the salt marsh, a different locality 
to that where all the other birds were obtained in this district, which were found on 
the Marram, or sand-hills; but this may be attributable to the bird having been 
disturbed from the latter during the morning previous to being found in the 
marshes.” This bird was killed at Holme, near Hunstanton, where several others 
had been procured during the summer; indeed, many have remained about those 
sand-hills, which are more or less preserved, from their first appearance in the county, 
and here, if the females did nest at all, it is quite possible they might have done so, 
without being observed. The only other late examples, in this district, are thus 
referred to. by Mr. Hele, in the ‘ Field’ of November 28th, 1863 :—“ A pair were seen 
by Colonel Thelusson at Thorpe (Suffolk) one day last week.’—Henry Stevenson ; 
Norwich, January 22, 1864. 
Pallas’ Sand Grouse in January.—The extraordinary migration of Pallas’ sand 
grouse into these islands, during the early part of last summer, was chronicled from 
almost every county; so many had been seen, so many shot, and so many preserved. 
From that time to the present I believe they have not been noticed anywhere, and 
have probably been forgotten by the great majority of the public: the ‘ Zoologist’ 
¢atalogued these occurrences as they were observed by its contributors, and also those 
communicated to newspapers and periodicals, and with few remarks the interesting 
Visitor disappeared from the public gaze. Why? Did it leave our shores as 
suddenly and unexpectedly as it made its appearance, of its own free will? or was 
it hunted down and extirpated? or has it gone back to where it came from, to tell of 
the barbarous treatment it received? Many doubtless left, but not all: there are one 
