218 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



but when I first set about putting these Notes 

 together in 1876, remembering that the late 

 Mr. Thomas Tryon was my authority for this 

 occurrence, and had tokl me that the bird in 

 question had been found in a wood by the Pytchley 

 hounds whilst cub-hunting, and also mindful of the 

 fact that the celebrated Charles Payne was probably 

 huntsman to that pack at the time of the occurrence, 

 I requested Mr, G. M. Edmonds, of Oundle, to make 

 enquiry of Payne for me, and very shortly after doing 

 so received from Mr. Edmonds the foUowins; letter 

 addressed to himself: — 



" Wynnstay Park, March 3, 1876. 



" Sir, — It is true that I did, some thirty years ago, 

 pick up a large Foreign Bird, the size of our English 

 Goose, but longer in the neck, a beautiful slate- 

 colour speckled Bird. I never heard the proper 

 name of it. George Payne, Esq., was the master 

 of the hounds at the time ; he had it stuffed and 

 gave it to some one in the neighbourhood ; I quite 

 forget to whom, but it is somewhere in the district. 

 I had some difficulty in catching it ; it lived about 

 three days afterwards at the kennels at Brigstock. 

 Mr. George Payne would know what bird it was, as 

 I think I heard him name it. 



" Your obedient Servant, 



" Chas. Payne." 



Upon this I wrote to Mr. George Payne, who, in 

 his reply dated March 15, 1876, stated: — "Although 

 I have some indistinct recollection of some bird 

 having been given to me by Charles Payne, I cannot 

 at all remember what became of it." Mr. George 



