AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 



195 



with their presence, and although I have met with 

 several fine old males, I never saw or heard of one 

 in this state of plumage near Lilford, except during 

 the months of January, February, and March. I 

 possess a very fine specimen stufied, that was killed 

 close to the house as long ago as January 4, 1837, 

 and I find in my note-book that an adult pair 

 frequented the same locality for more than a fortnight 

 in March 1870. My memory recalls other occur- 

 rences of male Golden-Eyes in the unmistakable 



Grolden-IEye (adult male). 



dress of maturity, but, unfortunately, does not enable 

 me to fix the dates of their appearance, as I regret to 

 say that in my early shooting-days my game-books 

 were far better kept than my notes on birds. I look 

 upon the immature Golden-Eye as a more or less 

 regular autumnal migrant through our county, whilst 

 the adult can only be considered as an accidental and 

 strictly winter straggler, that rarely appears except 



o2 



