8850 



Birds. 



26th Mr. Fenwick Hele states that a single sand grouse "was seen and 

 shot at on the 18th instant," at Alderton, near Aldeburgh, Suffolk. 



October 3. — Three males killed at Hulme Point, near Lynn, 

 Norfolk. These birds came into the hands of Mr. Howard, of 

 Hingham who has since informed me that only four were seen toge- 

 ther at the time ; the fourth bird being also wounded and lost. Since 

 that date no others have been noticed, and he believes that they 

 have now entirely left that part of the county. I had certainly 

 given up all idea of examining any more sand grouse during the present 

 season when summoned by the birdstuffer to inspect the last three ; 

 and though sharing with other naturalists and sportsmen a regret that 

 so many of these interesting birds should have been ruthlessly slaugh- 

 tered, I was not altogether sorry for the opportunity of observing the 

 autumn plumage of the species, and of comparing the tints of their 

 freshly moulted feathers with those of the earlier specimens. This 

 vivid colouring was particularly observable in the rich abdominal band, 

 the deep orange on the side of the head, the dark markings on the back, 

 and the sharpness of the pencilled lines across the lower part of the 

 breast. In all of them the bar across the secondaries had a bright 

 chesnut hue, and the wing-coverts — brighter and clearer than in any 

 previous examples — showed a darker buff edging to each feather, 

 looking like some delicate water- mark. The wing primaries and middle 

 tail-feathers were light grayish blue, with some appearance of the 

 "bloom" observable in the feathers of herons and some other birds. 

 The first primary shaft, though beginning to elongate, had not yet pro- 

 jected beyond the second feather in any one of these birds, and the 

 tail-feathers, of unequal lengths, had not attained their perfect growth, 

 varying from 3 inches to 5 inches, 6 inches, and 6j inches. They were 

 all in high condition, indeed more plump than any I had previously 

 handled, one bird weighing 10^ ounces, and two together exactly 21 

 ounces. The crops were filled with the seeds already noticed, and the 

 gizzards contained the debris of such food, mixed with numerous small 

 white particles of flint. I could have wished that one at least out of 

 these three autumn specimens had been a female, as the appearance 

 of the ovaries so late in the season might have shown some indication 

 of the birds having laid their usual number of eggs during the summer 

 months. The appearance of the testes in these adult males would 

 certainly favour the impression, that although no nests have been dis- 

 covered in this district, yet that such may have existed on the exten- 

 sive sand hills bordering our sea-coast ; more particularly since, on 



