BIRDS 325 



coast between Eskmeals and Drigg until the middle of October. 

 My esteemed correspondent, Mr. Beynolds, wrote shortly after 

 the event of their departure: ' Please note that the Sand Grouse 

 left here on the 17th inst. They were seen to fly high, but in 

 circles, on that day, and the police officer saw them flying in an 

 easterly direction over Muncaster. They have not been seen 

 since. There were about forty of them.' 



It is difficult to understand why the Sand Grouse left 

 Eavenglass, excejDt by the natural hypothesis that the migratory 

 fever of their race had seized them and they longed to depart 

 to winter quarters. But a few birds lingered in Lakeland. 

 During the week ending November 17th, 1888, upwards of a 

 dozen Sand Grouse were shot near Silloth, in spite of all 

 remonstrances. Having examined eight of this number in the 

 flesh, I feel bound to say that, contrary to some statements 

 current at the time as to the non-suitability of our climate to 

 their peculiar requirements, these Sand Grouse were in the 

 finest feather, while their bodies were loaded with fat. They 

 weighed from 9 J to 10 \ ounces, and their crops were full of 

 wheat, in some instances of corn and spurrey. When visiting 

 Walney in November 1888, I ascertained that the Sand Grouse 

 had left the island in July, but a single bird had just reappeared 

 at the south end. This was afterwards shot by a man named 

 Griffiths, and sent to Williams of Barrow, as was a male killed 

 on December 20th by Mr. Eichardson of Biggar. Eeturning 

 to Cumberland, a bird in female dress was shot by a keeper 

 near Ainstable on November 28th. On the 10th of December 

 a single bird was seen at Aiglegill. Two birds, one of them 

 apparently wounded, visited Skinburness about the same time. 



A little later in the winter, either in December or in 

 January, a keeper named Smith shot three Sand Grouse a few 

 miles from Whitehaven. The birds were sent in the flesh to 

 his brother, the present Jerry Smith of Bassenthwaite, at whose 

 house I identified one of the number. It was a fine male in 

 winter plumage, but had been hit very hard. Jerry Smith 

 mounted all three specimens, returning two of them to his 

 brother, whose widow still retains them. 



On the 19th of January 1889 two males were shot by a 



