200 
BIRDS. 
249. Turtur communis, Selhy. Turtle-Dove. 
Very rare summer visitant. Two specimens in Dunrobin 
Museum are labelled "Kirkton, July 1854"; " Crakaig, 
Sep. 1879 " {auct. Eev. Dr. J. M. Joass). Mr. J. Crawford, 
writing us in 1879, says: "On inquiry I find that several 
turtle-doves had been shot in the Melvich district some 
three years ago. I do not remember having seen any here 
(Tongue) previous to the one I sent you." This bird was 
shot, but much lacerated, by a pea-rifle bullet, so much so 
that we could not preserve it. 
Two or three specimens of the turtle-dove have been obtained 
in the county, the last being a young bird shot by Mr. 
Dunbar of Brawl, on August 23d, 1867, on the roadside 
near Canisbay House, and within a mile of John 0' Groat's 
House. It was a young bird of the year (0. MSS., 1868). 
Marked as occurring also by Mr. Eeid. 
250. Ectopistes migratorius {L.). Passenger Pigeon. 
Family PTEROCLIDiE. 
251. Syrrhaptes paradoxus {Pall). Pallas Sand Grouse. 
Extremely rare, accidental visitant. A specimen in the 
County Museum was taken at Dornoch on June 6, 1863. 
Two examples of this sand grouse were obtained in Caithness, 
and ten or twelve others observed in the year 1863. The 
first specimen was shot at Westerseat on the 8th of June, 
and the second a few weeks after, a few miles south of Wick, 
by F. Bentley Innes, Esq., of Thrumster.^ 
Vide Newton, " Ibis," and Encyclopaedia Britannka, under "Sand Grouse." 
