BIRDS. 



Thus there appears to have been either waut of observation aloug 



the extreme eastern boundaries, or otherwise a general scarcity of birds. 

 I incline to the latter supposition, or possibly to both combined. 



In conclusion, it is almost unnecessary to point out that there is 

 not sufficient evidence about their having bred upon Tents Muir, 

 as Dr. Sclater, who examined the supposed young birds shot there, 

 "could find no traces of immaturity, but rather that the birds sent 

 were simply moulting." There have been no perfectly reliable 

 accounts of the birds nesting in Scotland besides the one fully proved 

 case on the Culbin Sands of Moray. There are other records 

 certainly whkh point to an almost certainty that others either laid eggs, 

 or were found to contain eggs almost ready for extrusion (see Mr. 

 Macpherson's paper, part ii., " Breeding/' pp. 19-27) ; but at this date 

 it would serve no useful purpose to further discuss that record, and 

 one or two more, of which we have note. 



Desirous, however, of receiving information at first hand, I asked 

 my friend Mr. Berry t-o inter^^iew John Fowlis, and the follow- 

 ing is the local accoimt given: " Sand-Grouse were seen by several 

 parties early in spring — April, I think. They lived first on Fetters 

 (a small farm on the edge of Tents Muir, adjoining Scotscraig), but 

 afterwards they made their home on the sandy grass-fields to the 

 east of the Patchkiel and Fettersloch "Woods. They were seen there 

 all the summer. There were about seventy in the largest 'covey,' 

 and about twenty in another, and there were some small lots as well. 

 I was not down at Tents Muir at that time " (he was busy with the 

 young pheasants, adds ^Ir. Berry), " but old John Jolly told me he 

 found a Sand-Grouse nest with one egg. The nest was a mere 

 scrape in one of those sandy fields, and the egg was a little smaller 

 than a Wood-Pigeon's, and blue." 



Mr. Berry, quoting John Fowlis, continues this account as 

 follows : " I first saw them when shooting Partridges with the 

 Admiral, towards the end of September, I think. He shot three and 

 I shot two. He cut ofi" the wings for ladies' hats, and did not keep 

 the bodies. They left sometime about October, I think.'' 



Mr. Berry continues, on his own account : " Thus far John Fowlis. 

 His information, you see, lends little or no colour to the theory of the 

 birds having bred on Tents Muir in 1888 at all ; and as regards the other 

 statement about young birds, we have already disposed of that, supra.'' 



I have to thank Mr. Berry for the general view of Tents Muir 

 herewith given as representative of Sand-Grouse ground similar to 

 what I failed to illustrate in the volumes on Moray of the Culbin 



