﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  133 
  

  

  Dornoch 
  on 
  the 
  5th 
  or 
  Gth 
  of 
  June. 
  The 
  flock 
  of 
  birds 
  observed 
  

   at 
  Brora, 
  and 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  Sand 
  Grouse, 
  were 
  seen 
  

   on 
  June 
  1st. 
  Of 
  the 
  second 
  irruption, 
  of 
  far 
  greater 
  magnitude 
  

   than 
  the 
  first, 
  we 
  have 
  an 
  epitome 
  prepared 
  from 
  Professor 
  

   Newton's 
  and 
  Harvie-Brown's 
  notes, 
  supplemented 
  by 
  many 
  other 
  

   local 
  lists 
  and 
  records 
  — 
  by 
  Rev. 
  H. 
  A. 
  Macpherson, 
  in 
  a 
  pamphlet 
  

   entitled 
  The 
  Visitation 
  of 
  Pallas* 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  to 
  Scotland 
  in 
  1888 
  

   (London 
  : 
  Porter, 
  1889), 
  and 
  we 
  quote 
  here 
  that 
  portion 
  which 
  

   relates 
  to 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth 
  area 
  (op. 
  cit. 
  p. 
  5 
  *) 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  ' 
  The 
  known 
  occurrence 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  near 
  Elgin 
  in 
  

   1863 
  little 
  prepared 
  ornithologists 
  to 
  expect 
  the 
  incursion 
  of 
  

   hundreds 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  later. 
  ... 
  On 
  May 
  15th, 
  1888, 
  a 
  

   party 
  of 
  three 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  appeared 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  

   Findhorn. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Two 
  were 
  seen 
  there 
  the 
  following 
  day; 
  a 
  

   dozen 
  were 
  identified 
  near 
  Elgin 
  on 
  May 
  17th; 
  and 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  

   were 
  seen 
  at 
  Nairn 
  on 
  May 
  18th. 
  Mr. 
  Mackessack 
  — 
  of 
  Newton 
  

   Struthers, 
  near 
  Forres, 
  — 
  who 
  did 
  so 
  much 
  towards 
  their 
  careful 
  

   preservation 
  for 
  months 
  afterwards, 
  when 
  they 
  became 
  more 
  

   abundant 
  — 
  saw 
  twelve 
  on 
  May 
  24th, 
  and 
  fourteen 
  between 
  Forres 
  

   and 
  Burghead 
  on 
  the 
  25th, 
  on 
  which 
  day 
  a 
  fine 
  male 
  was 
  killed 
  a 
  

   little 
  inland 
  at 
  Rafford. 
  1 
  Many 
  others 
  followed. 
  At 
  Fort 
  George 
  

   it 
  occurred 
  on 
  J 
  une 
  7th, 
  and 
  1 
  several 
  were 
  reported 
  from 
  the 
  Black 
  

   Isle.' 
  Other 
  localities 
  are 
  Strath 
  Carron, 
  Bonar 
  Bridge 
  — 
  where 
  

   three 
  were 
  shot 
  on 
  May 
  30th, 
  1888, 
  the 
  first 
  received 
  that 
  year 
  by 
  

   Macleay, 
  — 
  Cromarty 
  and 
  Grantown. 
  None 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  Macleay 
  

   after 
  June 
  10th. 
  And 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  by 
  any 
  means 
  exhaust 
  the 
  

   accounts. 
  Indeed, 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Macpherson 
  remarks, 
  'the 
  two 
  immigra- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  1888 
  and 
  1863 
  agree 
  very 
  closely 
  in 
  the 
  lints 
  taken,' 
  

   and 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  wherever 
  a 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  occurred 
  in 
  1863, 
  

   there 
  a 
  score 
  or 
  half-a-hundred 
  appeared 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  later. 
  

   The 
  earlier 
  immigration 
  spent 
  its 
  force 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  

   to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Aberdeen. 
  The 
  later 
  influx 
  of 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  affected 
  

  

  • 
  We 
  must 
  insert 
  here 
  two 
  occurrences 
  not 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Macpherson 
  in 
  our 
  

   area. 
  First, 
  a 
  flock 
  seen 
  between 
  Dornoch 
  and 
  the 
  M« 
  ikle 
  Ferry 
  in 
  dune 
  and 
  as 
  late 
  

   as 
  July 
  4th. 
  Secondly, 
  a 
  pair 
  were 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  (iolspie 
  Links 
  on 
  July 
  14th 
  (Annal* 
  

   of 
  Scottith 
  Natural 
  //iWory, 
  1892, 
  p. 
  165). 
  Sheriff 
  Mackenzie 
  also 
  reported 
  to 
  

   Harvie-Brown 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  ' 
  scorex' 
  at 
  Tain. 
  

  

  1 
  We 
  are 
  glad 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  offer 
  of 
  £1 
  for 
  each 
  KM 
  offered 
  to 
  Forres 
  bird- 
  

   stuffers 
  did 
  not 
  induce 
  them 
  to 
  tempt 
  the 
  keepers. 
  All 
  praise 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  them 
  — 
  

   Mr. 
  Brown 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Lediugham. 
  

  

  