154 
TETRAONID.-E. 
birds as it dasbed out of a clump of elders in tlie garden at 
Halligartli, and next day I obtained an equally brief ’vdew of 
one beneath a willow hedge not far from the same spot. About 
the same time, birds precisely answering to the description of 
this species were seen at Harolds wick, and also in the island 
of Balta. On the 2d of Xovember I saw one in a stubble 
field close to the sea-beach, where, after much trouble, I shot 
it two days afterwards. It usually kept to the most exposed 
situations, and was so extremely shy that I am sure I sliould 
never have got it, had I not chanced to see it as it rose from 
some long grass, which served to screen me from observation. 
It always took wing at the slightest appearance of danger, at 
the same time uttering a succession of clear distinct notes. 
Its wildness and its similarity in colour to the soil prevented 
me from seeing much of its feeding habits, but it appeared to 
advance with a gentle gliding motion, keeping the breast so low 
that the feathers of that part came in contact with the ground, 
as was evident by their wet and muddy state when the bird 
was shot. The flight was much like that of a Golden Plover, 
and sometimes extremely rapid. Once, when the bird happened 
to get among some Starlings, it was surrounded and mobbed 
by them, as though it had been a Hawk, but a few strokes of its 
wings soon carried it beyond the reach of annoyance. It 
proved to be a female, the ovary containing a large cluster of 
eggs, many of which were about the size of turnip seed ; the 
elongated feathers of the wings and tail were in perfect 
condition. The only fat was at the lower part of the neck, 
where it was present in considerable quantity, and there was a 
peculiar want of flrmness in the flesh. The crop was distended 
to about the size of a chestnut with seeds, a few of which were 
of a kind unknown to me, but the greater number were those 
of Stellar ia media, and Plantago maritima; in the gizzard there 
were crushed seeds, together with a large quantity of clear 
rounded fragments of quartz. I was surprised to find no barley 
in the crop, as a great deal of that grain was strevm about the 
portion of ground most frequented by tiie bird. The appearance 
