324 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



may be said that they frequented mosses, grass lands, and, 

 where possible, ranges of sand-hills, feeding chiefly on arable 

 lands, and repairing at regular intervals to their favourite 

 watering-places. The remarkable foot, which induced Illiger 

 to propose the genus of Syrrhaptes for Tetrao paradoxus, Pall., is 

 eminently specialised to suit the environment of a sandy wilder- 

 ness. Mr. Reynolds remarked : ' The footprints are curious. 

 They are very small for a bird seemingly larger than a Partridge. 

 The middle claw extends far beyond the other two, and the 

 smallness of foot may account for a kind of roll or shuffle they 

 have in walking or running.' We examined hundreds of im- 

 pressions in the wet sand of the 'feet of the queen of the golden 

 sands' without detecting any variation from the type. The 

 pad always seemed to produce a depression, shallowest in front, 

 where the three claws pierce the sand and leave three round 

 holes, the first in advance of the other two. Although the feet 

 of the Sand Grouse are encased in pads, and their legs are very 

 short, yet these birds can run with surprising celerity. On the 

 6 th of August we found that the ground which these birds 

 frequented among the sand-hills at Drigg was strewn with 

 the feathers of Sand Grouse. Evidently they were deep in 

 moult. 



Information regarding the autumnal movements of these 

 birds was naturally less easily obtained than when the first news 

 of their arrival had kindled a short-lived flame of 6 enthusiasm. 

 The following lines refer to some such occurrences : — (a) East 

 Cumberland. Mr. Tandy ascertained that two parties of three 

 and five Sand Grouse visited the Penrith district, apparently 

 for the first time, on September 13th and 15th. Near Rockliffe, 

 a single bird was constantly seen in October, (b) Cumbrian 

 Plain. At Orton, Sand Grouse remained throughout September, 

 and two were seen at Newby Cross on the 25 th of that month. 

 Mr. George Dawson stated that on October 18th a flock of 

 twenty-five flew over his house, calling loudly, (c) English 

 Sohvay. Near Workington an odd bird was seen by Mr. 

 Hodgson early in September. At Beckfoot, near Silloth, five 

 appeared at the beginning of October, but did not remain. 

 (d) West Cumberland. The Ravenglass birds lingered on the 



