152 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



catecl by the son of this fowler to the late Rev. H. 

 Ward of Aldwincle St. Peters, who gave me 

 information of it, but I have not been able to obtain 

 a sight of the notes, or in any way to fix the date of 

 the occurrence ; the site of the pond above-mentioned 

 has been a productive meadow for as long as I can 

 remember. The first certain record regarding this 

 species in Northamptonshire that I find in my 

 journals was communicated to me by Mr. G. Hunt, 

 of Wadenhoe, by letter of December 18, 1882, and 

 has reference to a day shortly before the date of the 

 letter ; it runs thus : — " Four Whoopers came high 

 over me at 3 p.m. and settled on the flood at Snipe- 

 corner (near Tichmarsh), but before I could organize 

 a drive, a train put them up and they passed me 

 within 150 yards ; I identified them as Whoopers by 

 their note; all of them were white. They disappeared 

 over Thrapston." I consider that this is conclusive 

 as to correct identification, for although Bewick's 

 Swan also has a loud trumpeting note, Mr. Hunt, as 

 I shall show when treating of that species, had formed 

 a pretty intimate acquaintance with it, and was well 

 aware of the diff'erences between it and the Whooper. 

 In the early part of the month of February 1889, I 

 received several accounts from Lilford of three Swans 

 having been seen flying up and down our valley in 

 the neighbourhood of the house, and on the 13th my 

 falconer wrote : — " This afternoon, when I went to 

 the Park aviary to lock up for the night, I was 

 surprised at the sight of two Wild Swans which got 

 off" the Pond and went away down the river ; just as 

 I caught sight of them they were close by the 

 pinioned ones ; as they were going away all of them 

 kept calling ; there is no doubt but they ivere wild, as 



