THE RE-APPEARANCE OF PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE.
63
Mr. Crouch's record brings the birds from the Colchester district
to the south-west corner of Essex, and we may hear more of this
covey if the birds remain undisturbed, a barren hope, we fear, in
regions so near London.
"Pallas's Sand Grouse in Essex.—On Monday, the 4th June, at mid-day, a
covey of about sixteen birds was seen by Mr. Llewellyn Hatton, of Carswell,
Barking Side, Essex. They flew over his garden, and alighted close by, in a
field on St. Swithin's Farm. His tenant had seen them early in the morning in
the meadows by the River Roding, and thought from their flight they were
golden plover. Mr. Hatton at once went after them, and from the cover of a
patch of rye had a good opportunity of watching them as they rested quietly
about sixty yards away. On firing, he shot two (with one barrel) and the others
took wing, flying low in an easterly direction. The birds shot are both adult
males in full plumage and fine condition, and measure from the tip of the beak to
the end of the two long tail feathers just 17 inches. On examining the crop I
found no trace of insects, but only a quantity of small seeds of about four different
kinds, which I hope to get identified. They are probably seeds of wild plants.2
About forty sand grouse were seen on 20th May at Hoddesdon, Herts, and of these
a pair was exhibited by Mr. Sclater, F.R.S., secretary, on behalf of Mr, F. M,
Campbell, F.Z.S., at the Zoological Society's meeting of the 5th June. A short
account of this interesting bird, by Mr. Tegetmeier, appeared in 'The Field' of
26th May, 1888, and the best coloured plate is undoubtedly that in Mr. Dresser's
beautiful work on the 'Birds of Europe.'—Walter Crouch, Wanstead, June
13th, 1888."
Mr. J. E. Barnes, writing from Clare, Suffolk, on the borders of
Essex, says in the "Field" (June 16th, page 854), under date of
June 12th : "I have to inform you of the recurrence of the Sand
Grouse in this locality. Three were seen by myself on Saturday,
and ten by a keeper on Sunday morning."
The "Standard" newspaper for May 24th contained the following
very readable popular summary of the present knowledge possessed
by ornithologists of the appearance of this strange bird in Europe,
which will be read with interest by those who may not be able to
refer to more scientific sources of information :—
"It would seem that the long-looked-for irruption of the Tartar sand grouse
has at last taken place. Early in the month the birds were reported to have
arrived in Germany, and, following the precedents of previous years, they could
2 These seeds have been submitted to Mr. H. N. Ridley, M.A., of the Botanical Department,
British Museum. He identifies them as those of Chenopodium album, of a species of Carex,
with a few seeds of Medicago lupulina, Mr. Ridley writes :—"I suppose the birds brought the
seeds to this country with them, for they are not ripe so early in this country.'' Mr. E. A.
Fitch also examined a sample of the seeds, and reports that he recognises those of Chenopodium
album. Polygonum aviculare, and Medicago sativa, and seeds of a species of wild tare which
are often noticed in Russian oats. Mr. Fitch also agrees with Mr. Ridley that the seeds cannot
have ripened in Britain. It may be noticed that, according to Col. Prjevalski, the principal food
of Syrrhaptes in its winter haunts in the Gobi desert and in Ala-shan is the seeds of Agrio-
phyllum gobicum, a plant allied to the Goosefoot (Chenopodium), seeds of which were found in
the crops of the Barking Side examples.—Ed.