SAND GROUSE.
TKB2B-TOBD S A N D OKOUBB. P A L L A S ' s S A N D GROUSE.
Syrrhaptes paradoxus,
Syrthaptes—One that sews or stitches together, (from the form of the feet.)
Paradoxus—Paradoxical.
T H E stronghold of this bird appears to b e on the Steppes of T a r t a r y,
from whence it h a s wandered westwards through various countries of
E u r o p e , and eastwards to China, where great numbers were caught
at the time of our e x p e d i t i o n against Pekin in 1861, having also
occurred the previous winter on t h e plains about Tientsin, and on t he
banks of the River Peiho downwards. Mr. James S t u a r t - W o r t l ey
brought away s e v e n t y - t h r e e y o u n g birds back with him, and succeeded
in handing over thirty-four of t h em safe and well to t h e Zoological
Society.
I t s first occurrence in E n g l a n d was in t h e e a r l y part of t h e year
1859, when one was killed at W a l p o l e St. P e t e r ' s , Norfolk. Another
was shot iii Wales, out of a flock of three, on t h e 9 t h . of the same
month. One also at N e w Romney, in Kent, in November of that
y e a r .
But a most e x t r a o r d i n a r y irruption of these Grouse into Europe
occ i r r e d in 1863, continued also into the following year, 186-1.
I have compiled an account of the following specimens that were
obtained in E n g l a n d from t h e e l a b o r a t e list of t h em published b y M r .
Alfred N e w t o n :—
At Yarmouth, a female, found dead on t h e shore in May, 1803; a
male shot J u n e 0th.; a female killed J u n e 20th.; small flocks were
observed d u r i n g the months of A u g u s t and September. Waxham, eight
or nine birds seen, and a male and t h r e e females killed June 4th.;
a n o t h e r , a male, June 24th. W inter [on, a male, killed June 17th.,
out of a flock seen on t h e w a r r e n some time p r e v i o u s l y ; on t h e 3 r d .
of August a flock of t h i r t e e n was seen on the beach. Horsey, eighteen