250 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



and America. It is an irregular and somewhat 

 uncommon autumnal visitor to our Islands, more 

 frequently met with on the eastern coast than else- 

 where. 



213. MANX SHEARWATER. 



Puffinus ancjloniDi, 



This oceanic species occasionally wanders up the 

 valley of our river Nen to a considerable distance 

 from the sea, generally during, or soon after, the 

 prevalence of strong westerly gales in the early 

 autumn. I give the details of several occurrences 

 that have come to my knowledge, but I have received 

 several bare statements of the killing or picking up 

 of Shearwaters in Northamptonshire besides those 

 here recorded. Mr. J. Hensman was good enough 

 to inform me in a letter bearing date of February 22, 

 1876, that a Manx Shearwater in the Northampton 

 Museum was caught feeding with some fowls in 

 Northampton in September 1866. My friend the late 

 Mr. G. E. Hunt sent me a specimen of this bird, 

 that he shot as it was flying over the river near 

 Tichmarsh on the evening of September 4, 1879 ; 

 Mr. Hunt informed me that he shot this specimen 

 in the twilight, without having an idea as to 

 what it might be, and that it had a companion, 

 probably of its own species. With reference to this 

 occurrence, I find in my note-book for 1879, that on 

 the 28th and 29th of August we had a strong gale 

 from the south-west, and very high wind from the 

 same quarter on 2nd and 3rd of September. The 

 next record relating to this species that I find in my 



