AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 227 



trains on the London and North- Western Railway, 

 whilst travelling between Wellingborough and North- 

 ampton, and was on one occasion much shocked at 

 seeing three Terns in adult beauty nailed to a barn 

 near Ringstead Station, I consider this species as a 

 regular visitor to our valley in small numbers on the 

 double passage, generally appearing during the first 

 fortnight of May, rarely in April, and returning 

 southwards singly or in small straggling parties 

 from the middle of August till the third week in 

 September. In saying this, I would remark that I 

 am constantly told of the seeing of " Sea-Swallows " 

 near Lilford in the spring and autumn, but cannot, 

 of course, be certain that the birds thus referred to 

 are always of this species. 1 have a young bird of 

 the year stuffed at Lilford, that was picked up badly 

 injured by the telegraph-wires between Thorpe and 

 Achurch, with this exception, all the Terns of this 

 species that I can remember to have seen in our 

 county w^ere in the pure grey and white plumage of 

 maturity. 



On September 18th, 1891, as we were fishing from 

 our boat at a short distance below Lilford, I suddenly 

 heard the well-known cry of a Tern, and, looking up, 

 was aware of one of this species beating up against 

 a fresh S.W. breeze, hotly pursued by a Rook. The 

 Tern mounted high into the air, but the Rook, 

 in spite of his comparative slowness of flight, per- 

 sistently stuck to the chase, till he succeeded in 

 forcing the stranger to turn down-wind, and both 

 birds went out of sight in the direction of Oundle. 

 Shortly afterwards a Tern passed us within gunshot 

 to windward unmolested, and hovered about the river 

 close to the house for some time. After a lapse 



q2 



