312 BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
Mr. Farish, on his farm of West Mains as it was feeding 
in a turnip-field.* 
Mr. W. J. Laidlaw writes me that a pair of Turtle-Doves 
were seen at Eliock (Sanquhar) in June, 1900, but that they 
did not nest ; subsequent inquiries leave no doubt as to 
their identity. Mr. P. A. Pasley-Dirom, of Mount Annan, tells 
me that he thinks he may have shot one of these birds in 
September or October, 1901 ; and on October 12th, 1901, 
a Turtle-Dove was killed near Gretna, and passed into the 
possession of the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh,t where 
it may now (1909) be seen. 
Mr. R. Service tells me that the late H. A. Macpherson 
firmly believed that the Turtle-Dove nested in Eskdale ; 
but I have not been able to substantiate this behef ; though 
the occurrence of the species elsewhere in the county in the 
breeding-season, renders it not improbable. 
The Turtle Dove is only a summer- visitant to the British 
Isles, being abundant in the southern, eastern and midland 
counties of England, and becoming rarer further north. It 
is generally distributed in summer throughout central and 
southern Europe, migrating in winter to the countries south 
of the Mediterranean as far as Abyssinia. 
PALLAS'S SAND-GROUSE. 
Syrrhaptes paradoxus (Pallas). 
A very rare accidental visitor. 
This species, a native of the steppes of central Asia, visited 
Great Britain in considerable numbers in 1859, 1863, 1872, 
1876, 1888, and 1908, by far the most extensive immigration 
* R. Service, MS. Diary, August 26th, 1886. 
t Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1902, p. 134. 
