550 Notes on Sand Grouse. By George Bolam. 



another, a female, was killed close to Newcastle. On 4th June 

 two were sent to him, and on 9th, two more, all males ; and 

 from localities in Northumberland. About 25th July, a female 

 was shot at Riding Mill-on-Tyne, and Mr Duncan has also 

 recorded in Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, a female, which was 

 captured during a storm, on board the steam trawling boat " St 

 Oswin " when at sea, about 40 miles off Tynecuouth. This was 

 early in June, and the bird lived for some time in an aviary in the 

 Northumberland Park at North Shields. In the same paper of 

 date 23rd June, one is mentioned as having been picked up "a 

 fortnight ago " upon Embleton North Farm, and flocks were seen 

 by Mr Laing, at Burton, and upon a field of seeds near Chathill. 



It may not be out of place to mention here, that there is, in 

 the Museum at Newcastle, a female specimen, labelled "shot 

 near Berwick about 25th September, 1863 ; " and that Mr 

 Duncan tells me that a male and two females which he preserved 

 in 1863, were killed at Holy Island, on 5th October. Mr Howse 

 of the Newcastle Museum has also obligingly inforined me that 

 he saw three Sand Grouse which were killed at Whickham, 

 county Durham, on 17th May, and another from near Winlaton, 

 about the same date. On 23rd May, one was picked up upon 

 the Railway near Widdrington, Northumberland (II. Kerr, in 

 Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, 16th June) ; and during the same 

 month, Mr James Grey saw the remains of one which had been 

 killed upon the telegraph wires near Longhoughton Station. 

 On 13th Juue I saw two, male and female, which had been 

 recently set up by Mr Thompson, bird-stuffer in Alnwick, and 

 which had been shot together with a third which was not 

 preserved, on the sea-coast near Boulmer, and others were 

 reported from Stamford, and near North Sunderland. 



Several other instances of the occurrence or capture of Sand 

 Grouse in the district in 1888, might be given, but enough has 

 already been stated to show that during the latter part of Ma} r , 

 and throughout the summer, the birds were distributed pretty 

 much all along the coast of Northumberland, straying in many 

 cases to more inland districts. By the autumn not a few still 

 remained in more favoured localities, but with the approach of 

 winter, they quickly disappeared, and with the trifling exceptions 

 above mentioned, I have not heard of an} r being seen in 1889. 

 The visitation of 1S88, therefore, would seem to have had no 

 more lasting effects than its predecessor of 1863. 



