200 The New British Sand-Grouse. 



presented by the Eev. E. Hankinson. At least one other was 

 seen about the same time in the same neighbourhood. A third 

 specimen, also an adult male, was shot on the 23rd of the same 

 month near Hobro, in Jutland. This has been preserved in the 

 Museum of the University of Copenhagen. Finally, a fourth 

 specimen, stated to have been one of a pair observed in the 

 Dunes near Landvoort, in August, 1859, was killed in the 

 beginning of October following, and is now in the collection of 

 the Zoological Society of Amsterdam. That all these birds 

 belonged originally to one flock would seem highly probable. 

 One most competent witness (Mr. Alfred Newton) has seen 

 each of the captured specimens, and declares them all to possess 

 the extraordinary filamentous appendages in nearly perfect con- 

 dition. The two British examples were fully recorded in the 

 Ibis, a scientific journal, exclusively devoted to Ornithology, 

 and the Tremadoc specimen was immediately stuffed, and exhi- 

 bited before the British Association at Aberdeen, and subse- 

 quently before the Zoological Society of London, besides being 

 noticed in the Zoologist. Not the slightest attempt has been 

 made to cast a doubt on their having been genuine wild speci- 

 mens, which had from some unaccountable cause strayed far 

 from their native haunts. 



No living specimens had at that time been known to be 

 imported to Europe ; indeed, it would be hard to name a more 

 difficult place than their then known habitat from whence to 

 import any object, living or dead ; and no person ever pretended 

 to have lost any. Their claim, therefore, to a place in the 

 European and British lists as rare visitors was thenceforward 

 regarded as well-founded. 



As rare visitors most certainly, yet not quite so rare as 

 until the present year was most naturally supposed ; for during 

 the present summer a prodigious number have visited our 

 shores, as the following list will show. The date where given is 

 that when the specimens were observed : — 



May 22. A male and female killed out of a flock of" about 

 fourteen, at the Isle of Walney, North Lancashire. — Eecorded 

 in the Timrs, May 2G, by Mr. Schollick. 



May 22. Two killed out of twenty at Eccleshall, Stafford- 

 shire. — My. rates, in the Times, May 28. 



May 29 or 80. A very fine adult male, weighing nine ounces 

 and a-lialf, and in perfect plumage. Eecorded by myself in the 

 Times, of June 5, as having been killed at Perth, but which I 

 subsequently ascertained was shot at Hoy lake, on tho coast of 

 Cheshire, where one other was seen. 



June 2. A mule and female shot near Farnsfield, Notts. 

 Immature eggs <>!' the size of small peas were found in the 

 female. Both birds had been feeding on two or three varieties 



