A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



been found breeding within our boundaries. 

 The common continental form with grey back 

 in all stages of plumage. 



38. Grey Wagtail. Motacilla melanope, Pallas. 



A fairly common winter visitor from the 

 end of September to the beginning of March, 

 oftenest seen near water. 



39. Yellow Wagtail. Motacilla rail (Bona- 



parte). 

 A fairly common but rather local summer 

 visitor, very common in the neighbourhood of 

 Wellingborough — of course, by water. Ar- 

 rives early in April, nesting on the ground 

 near a stream or river (the nest very carefully 

 concealed), leaving in mid-September, at which 

 times very large flocks may be seen in turnip 

 fields. 



40. Tree-Pipit. Anthm trivialis (Linn.). 



Usually, but wrongly, called in Northants 

 the ' titlark,' a name which belongs to the 

 next bird. A summer visitor, pretty com- 

 mon, but rather local in distribution, arriving 

 about the middle of April, nesting on the 

 ground, but always near trees, on which it 

 commonly perches, and leaving again before 

 the end of September. 



41. Meadow-Pipit or Titlark. Anthui pra- 



tensis (Linn.). 

 A resident in small numbers, much more 

 abundant during the winter. Breeds in two 

 localities only, as far as I am aware, in the 

 county. Is strictly a moorland bird during 

 the summer, and very rarely indeed perches 

 anywhere but on the ground. 



[Richard's Pipit. Anthus richardi, Vieillot. 



Lord Lilford records a doubtful occurrence 

 of this bird [op. cit. i. 163), but the bird was 

 not shot, or caught, nor examined by his lord- 

 ship. Considering the close resemblance be- 

 tween A. richardi, and the tawny pipit [A. 

 campestrisy Linn.), its occurrence cannot be 

 called an ascertained fact.] 



42. Golden Oriole. Oriolus galhulc, Linn. 



A rare occasional visitor. Several occur- 

 rences are on record [Lilford, i. 84), and more 

 recently one of these birds haunted my garden 

 at Thornhaugh for a considerable part of the 

 summer of 1897. It was a female, and fortu- 

 nately was seen by no one else. 



43. Great Grey Shrike. Lanius excubitor, 



Linn. 

 A rare occasional winter visitor ; a number 

 of its occurrences in the county are given by 

 Lord Lilford (i. 69-74). 



44. Red-backed Shrike. Lanius collurio, Linn. 



A summer visitor, though not common, 

 appearing at the beginning of May, nesting in 

 thorn bushes or thick hedges, and leaving us 

 again in August. Much commoner in some 

 years than others. Very fond of sitting on 

 telegraph wires. 



45. Waxwing. Ampelis garrulus, h\nn. 



A rare winter visitor from northern Europe, 

 which occasionally visits England in consider- 

 able numbers. It is recorded to have occurred 

 in our county a dozen times or so (see Lilford, 

 i. 50, etc.). 



46. Pied Flycatcher. Mmcicapa atricapilla, 



Linn. 



A scarce and irregular summer visitor, 

 breeding not uncommonly in Wales and the 

 northern counties of England, which has four 

 times been shot, and once or twice been seen 

 besides, in Northants. 



47. Spotted Flycatcher. Mmcicapa griiola, 



Linn. 



A common summer visitor, reaching us 

 about May-day ; nesting in creepers, or trees 

 on garden walls ; often raising two broods in 

 the season, and leaving us again about the 

 middle of September. One remained about 

 Thornhaugh Rectory till October 5th last 

 year (1899), byt this was very exceptionally 

 late. 



48. Swallow. Hirundo rustica, Linn. 



A common summer visitor, arriving early 

 in April, raising two (or even three) broods, 

 and leaving us by the middle of October, 

 though odd individuals may be occasionally 

 seen a fortnight later. 



49. House-Martin. Chelidon urbica (Linn.). 



A common summer visitor, reaching us 

 within a week of the swallow, raising two 

 broods, and sometimes three. The third 

 brood often dies in the nest, or in the neigh- 

 bourhood, shortly after being fledged. Is de- 

 creasing in numbers in a good many places 

 owing to persecution by the house-sparrow. 



50. Sand-Martin. Cotile riparia (Linn.). 



A common summer visitor, but somewhat 

 local, its abundance depending on the presence 

 of suitable breeding-places. Reaches us early 

 in April, occasionally at the end of March, 

 breeds in banks and quarries, usually raises 

 two broods, and departs again between mid- 

 August and the end of October. 



116 



