326 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



farmer at Skirwith, close to the borders of Westmorland, their 

 mates being therefore rendered barren. On the 28th of January 

 1889 Mr. Haliday of Abbey reported that a few Sand Grouse 

 were frequenting his land, but a heavy fall of snow supervened, 

 the birds became restless and shifted to the coast and the neigh- 

 bourhood of Wolstey, where they were seen by Dr. Gabriel and 

 others early in February, after which all news of them ceased 

 until the month of May. Mr. R. Mann then wrote to me from 

 Aiglegill :'Iam sure you will be glad to know that the Sand 

 Grouse have made their appearance in this part of Cumberland 

 again. A single bird was seen on Sunday, May 12th, and a 

 couple (together) yesterday on the fields between this and Brown 

 Eigg.' Tyson Brown, the Ravenglass keeper, told Mr. Johnson 

 that a fine pair of Sand Grouse arrived on the sand-hills at Drigg 

 on the 11th of May. This he repeated to me, with additional 

 information, the accuracy of which I rather doubted. Indeed, 

 so many incorrect rumours of Sand Grouse occurred in 1889 

 that I have omitted to notice some probably true information 

 rather than run any risk of adulterating the facts stated in this 

 article ; not that I query any one's good faith, but that people of 

 sanguine temperament are not always to be trusted to distin- 

 guish between Sand Grouse and Golden Plover. However, I 

 fully ascertained that a few Sand Grouse appeared near West 

 Silloth in September 1889, and there remained for a short time. 

 One bird frequented a garden at Blitterlees for several days. 

 In taking leave of this handsome Asiatic, I desire to express an 

 earnest hope that its next immigration to our shores may not 

 be signalised by a thoughtless slaughter of the newly-landed birds; 

 but that they may rather be encouraged on all hands to effect 

 a permanent settlement. The condition of those which were 

 shot in the middle of an English winter has entirely disproved 

 the theory that this Sand Grouse is too delicate to endure the 

 vicissitudes of our uncertain climate. 



