THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 167 



On the Irruption oi Syrrhaptes paradoxus (Pallas's Sand Grouse), 

 (Communicated by Professor Newton, M.A., F.R.S., to Mr. 

 A. J. Campbell). 



The author began by observing that twenty- five years before, 

 almost to a day, he had made a communication with the very 

 same title to the section at Newcastle, and he had then been bold 

 enough to anticipate a recurrence of the irruption of which he 

 then treated, a full account of which appeared in " The Ibis " 

 for 1864. After briefly pointing out the peculiarities of this 

 singular form of bird, and tracing what was known of its early 

 history, especially of its appearance in Europe prior to the first 

 great irruption of 1863, he proceeded to notice the two small and 

 less known visitations of 1872 and 1876. In the former of these it 

 had only been observed in two localities — one on the coast of 

 Northumberland, the other on that of Ayrshire — in both cases in 

 the month of June, though in neither was any specimen pro- 

 cured. In the latter (1876) it was observed in three localities — 

 one being near Winterton, in Norfolk (in May), another near 

 Modena, in Italy (in June), and the third in the county Wicklow, 

 Ireland (in October). The irruption of the present year had 

 been on a large scale, at least as large as that of 1863, if not 

 larger — certainly the number of observations was greatly in 

 excess. It had also taken place fully a month earlier. From 

 the information at present in his possession it had extended 

 further to the southward — in Italy to Orvieto, and in Spain (which 

 country had been for the first time reached) to the Albufera of 

 Valencia; and to the westward — to BelmuUet, in the county 

 Mayo ; but at present it seemed to have fallen short as regards 

 its northern limits, though very possibly time would prove that 

 localities quite as far towards the north as on the former occasions 

 (the Nord Fjord, in Norway, and the Faeroes) had been attained. 

 The limits of all the irruptions from 1859 to 1888 were shown on 

 a map, and in this way it was evident that the general direction 

 of all was practically identical. The discovery of the " radiant 

 point " (which might be assumed to be beyond the Caspian Sea) 

 was very desirable, and on this matter the author hoped trust- 

 worthy information might be received from Russian observers. 

 With regard to the causes which had led to these extraordinary 

 movements, he wished to express himself cautiously ; but their 

 apparent regularity inclined him to think that they were not due 

 to any *' convulsion of Nature," as some persons supposed, but 

 rather, as he had before suggested, to the natural overflow of a 

 redundant population. When more complete information had 

 been obtained he hoped to treat this irruption at length in " The 

 Ibis " for the year 1 889 in some such way as he had treated that 

 of 1863 —Report Brit. Assoc. Bath, 1888. 



