BIRDS. 
209 
Family GRUID^E. 
270. Grus communis, -Sec/is/. Common Crane. 
271. Grus virgo (L.). Demoiselle Crane. 
Order 4. LIMICOL^. 
Family OTIDiE. 
272. Otis tarda, i. Great Bustard. 
273. Otis tetrax, i. Little Bustard. 
The fullest and most authentic account of the capture of a bird 
of this species in Caithness is as follows : — Mr. John Wolley 
when in Wick, a year or two after 1848, was shown the bird 
by Dr. Sinclair, ;n the month of July or August. On the 
8th of March 18.5.3 Mr. Wolley wrote to Dr. Sinclair to ask 
him what he could recollect concerning the capture of the 
bird, to which Dr. Sinclair replied ; and we give his reply 
in extenso, quoted, along with all other information on the 
subject, from the Egg-Books of Mr. John Wolley, by the kind 
permission of Professor Newton. The letter is dated Wick, 
March 28, 1853, and proceeds as follows: — 
" I have made every inquiry about the Little Bustard, 
but have been completely foiled in all my inquiries — cannot 
learn any one thing of her. I shall tell you how she 
came into my possession. One day in the middle of June 
1848 or 1849, I went in to the bar of the Caledonian Hotel 
here. Well, to my great delight and surprise, I found this 
rare and beautiful bird laid with some dead domestic fowls. 
I took it up, and walked home with it, and sent my friend, 
Mr. Leith, three hens for it, which he thought was a good 
exchange. On my further inquiry, I found that she had 
been shot by a ' poacher ' in the parish of Halkirk, six- 
teen miles from this, and five miles from Thurso, or other- 
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