﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  137 
  

  

  bird, 
  from 
  a 
  small 
  sand-hollow, 
  not 
  thirty 
  yards 
  ahead. 
  It 
  was 
  

   a 
  male. 
  He 
  turned 
  and 
  passed 
  close 
  to 
  us, 
  the 
  breast-markings 
  

   showing 
  distinctly. 
  He 
  was 
  absolutely 
  silent. 
  Was 
  the 
  female 
  

   sitting 
  on 
  eggs 
  1 
  We 
  saw 
  the 
  exact 
  spot 
  whence 
  he 
  rose, 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  tuft 
  of 
  bent. 
  On 
  going 
  to 
  the 
  spot, 
  we 
  found 
  

   a 
  depression 
  in 
  which 
  his 
  breast 
  had 
  rested 
  in 
  the 
  white 
  loose 
  

   sand, 
  close 
  under 
  the 
  lee 
  of 
  the 
  bent 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  saw 
  his 
  wing-stroke 
  

   markings 
  imprinted 
  on 
  the 
  loose 
  dry 
  sand 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  

   risen. 
  Was 
  he 
  only 
  sheltering 
  ? 
  The 
  wind 
  had 
  for 
  days 
  past 
  been 
  

   dry 
  and 
  easterly. 
  To-day 
  it 
  was 
  from 
  the 
  west. 
  The 
  bird 
  had 
  

   crouched 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  or 
  leeward 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tuft 
  of 
  bents. 
  Perhaps 
  

   we 
  too 
  rashly 
  conceived 
  he 
  was 
  only 
  sheltering, 
  but 
  the 
  marked 
  

   change 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  since 
  yesterday, 
  we 
  fear, 
  aided 
  

   in 
  the 
  hasty 
  conclusion.' 
  Harvie-Brown 
  wished 
  afterwards 
  he 
  had 
  

   gently 
  passed 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  his 
  finger 
  through 
  the 
  loose 
  sand, 
  between 
  

   the 
  wing-stroke 
  markings. 
  Perhaps, 
  like 
  some 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  

   birds 
  — 
  like 
  Anarhyncus 
  frontalis 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  the 
  eggs 
  might 
  

   have 
  been 
  partly 
  covered 
  or 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface. 
  Quien 
  sabe 
  ! 
  

   but, 
  continues 
  H.-B.'s 
  Journals, 
  1 
  this 
  I 
  think 
  I 
  know 
  : 
  had 
  I 
  been 
  

   alone 
  this 
  day, 
  only 
  darkness 
  would 
  have 
  torn 
  me 
  away 
  from 
  this 
  

   and 
  the 
  last-mentioned 
  hollow 
  of 
  the 
  Culbin 
  Sands 
  ; 
  or 
  if 
  I 
  had 
  

   had 
  a 
  companion 
  by 
  my 
  side 
  like 
  Colonel 
  H. 
  W. 
  Feilden, 
  our 
  

   patience 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  rewarded. 
  

  

  1 
  Here 
  ended 
  my 
  second 
  lesson 
  in 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  — 
  disgracefully, 
  I 
  

   consider, 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  collector, 
  and 
  even, 
  possibly, 
  

   as 
  suggested 
  by 
  a 
  friend, 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  naturalist. 
  Not 
  very 
  far 
  

   from 
  this 
  spot 
  the 
  young 
  birds 
  were 
  found 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Chad 
  wick's 
  

   gamekeeper 
  — 
  Scott 
  — 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  Eheu 
  ! 
  ! 
  Still 
  the 
  

   account 
  bears 
  its 
  own 
  interest, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  glad 
  that 
  we 
  can 
  be 
  

   borne 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  facts 
  we 
  have 
  related 
  by 
  our 
  companions 
  of 
  the 
  

   day 
  — 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Brown 
  and 
  his 
  son.' 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  Captain 
  Dunbar-Brander's 
  account, 
  which 
  

   appeared 
  in 
  the 
  Field, 
  of 
  eggs 
  in 
  his 
  possession, 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  of 
  

   the 
  opinion 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  reproduction 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  'Sir, 
  —There 
  is 
  a 
  query 
  in 
  last 
  week's 
  Field 
  regarding 
  Sand 
  

   Grouse. 
  I 
  write 
  all 
  I 
  know 
  about 
  them 
  up 
  to 
  date, 
  October 
  1st, 
  

   1888. 
  

  

  4 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  bare 
  sandy 
  tract 
  of 
  rabbit 
  links 
  runs 
  along 
  the 
  

   shore 
  about 
  two 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  my 
  house; 
  the 
  rabbit- 
  

  

  