﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  157 
  

  

  Genus 
  TURTUR, 
  Selby. 
  

   Turtur 
  communis, 
  Selby. 
  Turtle 
  Dove. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  heard 
  of 
  two 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  being 
  

   shot 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood. 
  The 
  one 
  in 
  August, 
  1849, 
  near 
  

   Old 
  Aberdeen, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  in 
  September, 
  1851." 
  (J. 
  

   Longmuir, 
  Naturalist, 
  vol. 
  ii., 
  p. 
  238.) 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  a 
  common 
  bird 
  with 
  us. 
  It 
  may 
  

   therefore 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  an 
  accidental 
  straggler, 
  and 
  its 
  

   recorded 
  occurrences 
  within 
  "Dee" 
  are 
  not 
  numerous. 
  "On 
  

   April 
  30th, 
  1870, 
  one 
  was 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  grounds 
  at 
  Keith-hall 
  

   by 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  Burnett." 
  (Scottish 
  Naturalist, 
  vol. 
  i., 
  p. 
  85.) 
  

   "A 
  pair 
  was 
  seen 
  frequenting 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  newly 
  sown 
  turnips 
  at 
  

   Bridgend, 
  Fyvie, 
  and 
  was 
  shot 
  on 
  May 
  27th, 
  1875." 
  (George 
  

   Sim, 
  Fyvie, 
  Scottish 
  Naturalist, 
  vol. 
  iii., 
  p. 
  112.) 
  One 
  was 
  shot 
  

   at 
  Tarland 
  in 
  1891, 
  and 
  was 
  preserved 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Benzie, 
  Char- 
  

   lotte 
  Street, 
  Aberdeen, 
  with 
  whom 
  I 
  saw 
  it. 
  " 
  One 
  was 
  seen 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Henderson, 
  keeper, 
  at 
  Brucklay 
  Castle." 
  (Horn.) 
  

   "One 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  at 
  Inverugie." 
  (Serle.) 
  

  

  On 
  November 
  8th, 
  1895, 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Wilson, 
  Methlick, 
  writes 
  

   that 
  " 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  five 
  Turtle 
  Doves 
  in 
  a 
  wild 
  state 
  went 
  close 
  

   past 
  me. 
  I 
  saw 
  them 
  a 
  quarter-of-a-mile 
  distant, 
  and 
  might 
  

   have 
  had 
  time 
  to 
  get 
  my 
  gun, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  think 
  they 
  would 
  

   pass 
  so 
  close. 
  However, 
  a 
  Sparrow-Hawk 
  was 
  not 
  so 
  neglect- 
  

   ful 
  for 
  he 
  attacked 
  them, 
  causing 
  one 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  a 
  pane 
  

   of 
  glass, 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  was 
  made 
  a 
  prisoner." 
  

  

  Gray 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  myself 
  seen 
  this 
  bird 
  in 
  a 
  wild 
  state 
  

   in 
  Aberdeenshire." 
  One 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Balmedie, 
  near 
  Aber- 
  

   deen, 
  September 
  4th, 
  1902, 
  and 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  me. 
  

  

  Order 
  PTEROCLETES. 
  

   Family 
  PTEROCLIDiE. 
  

   Genus 
  SYRRHAPTES, 
  Illiger. 
  

   Syrrhaptes 
  paradoxus, 
  Pallas. 
  Pallas's 
  Sand-Grouse. 
  

  

  This 
  interesting 
  stranger, 
  a 
  native 
  of 
  the 
  Steppes 
  of 
  

   Central 
  Asia, 
  made 
  its 
  first 
  appearance 
  in 
  " 
  Dee 
  " 
  in 
  1863. 
  

  

  L 
  

  

  