388 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



edge of the drift-ice, where they were safe from their only enemy, the Polar 

 Bear, though falling an easy prey to the sealer. Now they gather on the 

 ice close to the shore, whither vessels cannot penetrate, and where they 

 are, at all events, safe from one enemy. This, says Dr. Nansen, was fully 

 demonstrated on several occasions, particularly on July 2nd, when Seals 

 were seen lying in thousands close under the shore to the north and north- 

 east as far as the eye could reach from the mast-head. To the north 

 especially, the ice was for miles one mass of dark animals. Dr. Nansen 

 advocates a closer preservation of the Seals. This year the seal-fishery has 

 proved a failure, and the sealers report that the ice-masses were enormous. — 

 'Nature,' August 30th. 



BIRDS. 



Reported nesting of Pallas's Sand Grouse in Cumberland.— In our 

 last number (p. 348), we mentioned the fact of our having seen two eggs of 

 a Sand Grouse which were emphatically stated to have been taken near 

 Carlisle in June last, and which, if the statement were true, could only 

 have belonged to Syrrhaptes paradoxus. These two eggs, which struck us 

 as being somewhat larger than one which was laid by a Sand Grouse in 

 the Zoological Gardens some years ago, were nevertheless similar to it in 

 shape and colour. They were offered for sale at Messrs. Stevens's Auction 

 Rooms in August last, and the biddings not reaching the reserved price 

 put upon them (which we understood to be £5) they were not sold. We 

 are sorry to learn from our esteemed correspondent Mr. H. A. Macpherson 

 that a gross imposition was attempted in this case, and not only were the 

 eggs not found near Carlisle as alleged, and as the result of enquiry clearly 

 proved, but they may have belonged to some other species of Sand Grouse 

 which has never visited the British Islands. The name of the person who 

 attempted this fraud upon unwary egg-collectors has not been disclosed to 

 us, or we should not hesitate to make it known as a warning. As it is, we 

 can only say that no reliance is to be placed upon the unconfirmed report to 

 which we gave credence in our last number, and of which we became aware 

 too late in the month to make enquiries before printing it. Verbum sap. 



Pallas's Sand Grouse in Dorset. — As a supplement to my former 

 note (p. 264) on the occurrence of this bird in Hampshire, I may mention 

 that, as late as the end of June, or beginning of July, a flock of these birds 

 frequented a sandy piece of heath land on the borders of Dorset, and 

 several were killed and eaten. 1 saw the feathers of one or more of them, 

 so there is no doubt about the species, and eggs are also said to have been 

 taken in the same locality, but up to the present time I have been unable 

 to verify this statement. I think it very possible, if not probable, that the 

 birds in question were those seen by my friend (mentioned in my former 

 note), as the two localities are but a few miles apart, and when he saw 



