542 Notes on Sand Grouse. By George Bolam. 



heard of ; the most assiduous efforts having failed to obtain any 

 trace of it,— and so ended Mr Hall's attempts at authorship." 



Since Mr Hall's death, Whitehall has been unfortunate. He 

 bequeathed this fine estate to his nephew, Sir James Hall of 

 Dunglass, and with it a sum of money sufficient to build the 

 mansion house, which he had prepared for. Sir James, however, 

 had by that time built a large and costly mansion at Dunglass, 

 and had no use for another house, but abundant uses for the 

 ready money; and so he left his uncle's purpose unfulfilled. 

 Again, when his son Sir John Hall sold Whitehall to Mr 

 Mitchell Innes (who shortly before had bought Ay ton estate 

 also) the new proprietor preferred to build at Ayton ; and the 

 beautiful site at Whitehall has been consigned to neglect and 

 defacement. 



Some Notes on the occurrence of Pallas's Sand Grouse, 

 Syrrhaptes Paradoxus, (Pallas) in the District, during 

 the recent visitation of the species to this country. By 

 George Bolam, Berwick-on-Tweed. 



As probably most of our members are aware, Europe, in- 

 cluding the British Islands, was in 1863 invaded bj r immense 

 flocks of Pallas's Sand Grouse, Syrrhaptes Paradoxus, (Pallas) ; 

 and 1888 has become memorable in the annals of Ornithology 

 for a second great irruption of the species. Spending the 

 winter in Mongolia and the vast sandy steppes of Central Asia, 

 the Sand Grouse at the approach of spring migrate northwards 

 in countless flocks to breed, and it is at this season of the year 

 that they occasionally find their way into Europe. Speculation 

 as to the causes of these periodical irruptions, is beyond the 

 scope of a paper of the present description, suffice it therefore to 

 say that Professor Newton in chronicling the invasion of 1863 

 {Ibis for 1864, pp. 185-222) inclined to the theory of over- 

 population and the natural increase of the species, and remarked 

 that '•' unless some physical change occurs in the Tartary steppes 

 which may have the effect of relieving the pressure, another 

 outpouring may be safely predicted, and probably the thrice 

 found channel will be again used by the emigrating population." 

 This prophecy has been fulfilled after a lapse of 25 years, and 



