Birds. 



8689 



Pintailed Sand Grouse (Pterocles setarius) in Yorkshire.— Mr. William Einmctt, 

 of Pudsey, shot on the 10th of June, out of a covey of fourteen, two specimens of the 

 pintailed sand grouse, at Farsley. He has mounted them, and they are now in his 

 possession. — William Liversedye ; 35, Stansfield Row, Barley, near Leeds. 



[Will Mr. Liversedye kindly examine these specimens, and state whether there 

 is not a mistake in the name ? if the toes are united and the hind toe absent they are 

 Syrrhaptes paradoxus, like the others recorded in this number. — Edward Newman']. 



Pallas' Sand Grouse in Durham.— The flight of this Tartar stranger to our shores 

 has been more extensive than Dr. Sclater and Mr. Moore anticipated. A flock of 

 sixteen or seventeen Pallas' sand grouse has remained in the salt marshes near Tees- 

 mouth for several weeks, and only quitted us last week. Three birds were shot on the 

 13th of May, by a working man in Messrs. Bell's foundry, at Port Clarence, who, 

 unaware of their interest, gave them to a carpenter, to whose house an intelligent local 

 naturalist fortunately directed me. A fortnight later the flock had not been further 

 diminished, till another bird was shot by Mr. Walker of Hartlepool; and last week 

 the covey, about thirteen in number, being put up on some high ground in the neigh- 

 bourhood, took a distant westward flight. Possibly, if unmolested, they may yet remain 

 to breed on some of our moorlands. They showed every disposition to settle here, but 

 only owe their temporary security to their being taken by our gunners for golden plover, 

 which, on the wing, they somewhat resemble. All the specimens obtained were males. 

 — H. B. Tristram. — 4 Times! 



Pallas Sand Grouse in Northumberland. — Three birds, answering in every parti- 

 cular to the very excellent description of Pallas' sand grouse given in the letter of 

 Mr. E. J. Scholliek to the 'Times,' were shot at Thropton, near Rothbury, in North- 

 umberland, by a mason named George Rennison, a few days before Mr. Schollick's 

 letter appeared. The birds, being entirely different in appearance from any known in 

 this country, proved a complete puzzle to all who saw them. They were sent by Mr. 

 W. Reay, of Thropton Cottage, to Mr. Hancock, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for preser- 

 vation. I saw them as they passed through Morpeth, and a day or two after saw in 

 the 4 Times ' the description of Pallas' sand grouse, given by Mr. Scholliek, which 

 agreed most exactly with the appearance of these birds. 1 understand Mr. Reay 

 intends to present a pair of them to the Museum at Newcastle-on-Tyne. — W. Wilkin- 

 son; Morpeth, June 6, 1863.—' Field.' 



Pallas' Sand Grouse in Scot land.— Another specimen of this remarkable bird has 

 met its death on British soil, and narrowly escaped passing into oblivion unhonoured 

 and unknown. Shot by some unknown person, the precise locality also as yet unknown, 

 it was received on the 1st inst. from Penh, in a basket of leverets, rabbits and pigeons, 

 forwarded to Mr. A. Ruthven, wholesale game dealer of this town, for sale in the 

 ordinary way of business, without note or comment of any kind ! By Mr. Ruthven 

 it was kindly given to Mr. Thomas Littler, who presented it, still in the flesh, to this 

 museum. It was a very fine adult male, and had apparently been dead a day or two. 

 It has since been skinned and stuffed, and will be placed in company with the equally 

 fine specimen from Tremadoc, also in the museum, and mentioned in Dr. Sclater's 

 letter, published in the 'Times' of the 29th ult. Scottish naturalists can now, for the 

 first time, add this species {Sijrrhapt.es paradoxus) to the list of birds killed north 

 of the Tweed. — Thomas J. Moore ; Curator to the Derby Museum. — ' Liverpool 

 Times' 



Pallas' Sand Grouse in. Scotland. — A covey of ten or twelve Pallas' sand grouse 

 VOL. XXI. 3 c 



