Birds. 8685 



flesh, both in appearance and flavour, was very like that of the common pigeon. — 

 Edward Tat/lor ; Saffron Walden. — ' Field' 



Pallas Sand Grouse in Hertfordshire. — Mr. Cooper, the well-known and ahle 

 naturalist, of 28, Radnor Street, St. Luke's, has most obligingly placed in my hands, 

 in the flesh, two specimens, which were killed only three days back, at a double shot, 

 by Mr. John Read, at Dugdale Hill, South Mimnis, near Baruet. Both the speci- 

 mens were males; both were in the most perfect plumage, except that in one specimen 

 one of the elongated tail-feathers had been shot away : they were excessively plump, 

 without much appearance of fat, and their crops were stuffed to repletiou with the seeds 

 of the red clover and the common plantain ; in their gizzards were the same two 

 kinds of seeds in a semi-comminuted state and mixed .with an abundance of small 

 semi-transparent gravel-stones, scarcely larger than the seeds. — Edward Newman. 



Pallas Sand Grouse in Suffolk. — Four specimens of Pallas' sand grouse have 

 beeu killed at Thorpe, near Aldborough : two killed on the 11th and one on the 12th 

 were females: I have not ascertained the sex of the first procured, which is in the 

 possession of Mr. Hele, of Aldborough. It appears by a local paper that two other 

 specimens have been killed at Walberswick, near Southwolcl : they are now in the 

 possession of J. N. Spalding, of Westleton, near Yoxford : sex not given. — Edward 

 Neave ; Leiston, Suffolk, June 16, 1863. 



Pallas' Sand Grouse in Suffolk. — I have received four specimens of Pallas' sand 

 grouse: the first two were males, and were killed at Horsey: yesterday morning a 

 female was sent from Leiston, and another in the evening. They are singular and 

 very pretty birds ; the feet more like an animal's than a bird's, and very small. The 

 person who sent me the first two called them a pair, but they are both males. The 

 crops were quite full of small seeds. — Thomas Dix; Ipswich, June 14, 1863. 



Pallas'* Sand Grouse in Suffolk. — On Friday, the 28th of May, a covey of seven 

 of these rare birds made their appearance at Thorpe. They were observed to come 

 from seaboard to eastward, and apparently were compelled to alight on the first 

 landing-place, the beach, through fatigue. A fine female specimen was shot and 

 brought to me. I have since examined the body, and found many immature eggs in 

 it. The crop was distended with the seeds of what appear to me to be either plantain 

 or a Ruraex. I have planted them, in the hope that they may germinate, and so 

 perhaps throw light in regard to any locality they may have recently left. — N. F. 

 Hele ; Aldborough, Suffolk. — ' Field.' 



Pallas Sand Grouse in Norfolk. — Another specimen of Pallas' sand grouse has 

 been killed in this county, and been received by Mr. Ward, sen., of Vere Street, for 

 preservation. This bird (a female, with large eggs in the ovarium) was shot on rising 

 from a sand-hill a few miles from Yarmouth. In last week's ' Field' a writer wishes 

 to know if the female possesses long centre tail-feathers similar to the male. I have the 

 pleasure of informing him that the specimen I have above alluded to possessed (as is 

 always the case with this species) long centre feathers in the tail. On measuring 

 some foreign skins of this species, I find the length of the tail of the male to be 

 7\ inches, and that of the female 6 inches. — ' Field.' 



Pallas' Sand Grouse in Norfolk. — In concurrence with the various instances which 

 have this season been recorded of the arrival of these distant foreigners in different 

 parts of our island, I feel bound to inform you that I this morning (Saturday, June 

 12) received a fine pair, in the flesh, killed at Horsey, near Yarmouth, and that I have 

 had precautions taken to preserve their bodies to be discussed at the forthcoming 



