256 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Northamptonshire. One was picked up alive in Grim- 

 shaw Wood on December 30, 1878, and reported to 

 me by Captain J. A. M. Vipan, of Stibbington. I am 

 rather perplexed about this occurrence, as, although 

 the above-mentioned date was given me by Captain 

 Vipan in October 1886, I find in my note-book a 

 record on his authority of an occurrence of the same 

 species in the same wood under date of February 21, 

 1876. This specimen was first mentioned to me by 

 Mr. C. W. Fitzwilliam in a letter dated February 16, 

 1876, as a " Stormy Petrel," but Captain Vipan, 

 under the date above mentioned, informed me that 

 the bird belonged to the present species, and was, at 

 the time of writing, preserved in his collection, so 

 that I presume that the date of 1878 as above given 

 was an error of memory on the part of my informant. 

 My next record of this Petrel is that of one caught 

 by a cat at Weston Favell on December 3, 1889, 

 purchased by me from Mr. Wm. Bazeley in 1891, and 

 now preserved in my collection. Anotlier of these 

 birds was picked up alive near Pitsford on October 

 14, 1891, and brought to me "in the flesh" on the 

 following day by Mr. Bazeley, who most courteously 

 made me a present of it. This specimen is also 

 preserved in my collection. October and November 

 1891 will long be memorable amongst British 

 ornithologists on account of the numbers of this 

 species found throughout our Islands, in many cases 

 at long distances from the sea. I have only seen a 

 few of these Petrels on diflerent occasions in the 

 " chops of the Channel " and in the Bay of Biscay, 

 so that I can say nothing of their nesting-habits 

 from personal experience ; I therefore quote from my 

 standard authorities that it brc\eds in burrows on two 



