BIRDS 



[Purple Gallinule. Porphyria caru/eus, 

 Vandelli. 



Has been several times reported in the 

 county, where there is much more likelihood 

 of the occurrence of P. smarag/Jontus, which 

 is a common 'ornamental waterfowl.' I 

 doubt if the two are often distinguished from 

 one another. In any case the birds recorded 

 have undoubtedly escaped from a private 

 collection.] 



159. Moor-Hen or Water-Hen. Gallinula 



chloropm (Linn.). 

 A common resident, breeding on all rivers, 

 brooks, ponds and lakes. 



160. Coot. Fulica atra, Linn. 



A resident, common on all larger sheets of 

 water, and occasional on rivers. Moves about 

 a good deal in winter, like the last species. 



161. Great Bustard. Otis tarda, Linn. 

 Morton (17 1 2) records this bird, then 



common on all considerable open stretches of 

 land, as only a rare visitor to Northants. It 

 has not occurred of late years. 



162. Little Bustard. Otis tetrax, Linn. 



A rare winter visitor, of which only one 

 occurrence has been noted in our county, 

 which was shot near Rothwell, November 

 20th, 1858. 



163. Stone-Curlew also Norfolk Plover or 



Thick-knee. CEdicnemui icolopax (S. G. 



Gmelin). 

 A rare wanderer to our county from Nor- 

 folk, where it is a pretty abundant summer 

 visitor to the ' breck ' country. Lord Lilford 

 records two occurrences {Lilford, ii. 1-2), 

 since which the Rev. F. M. Stopford has sent 

 me notice of one he saw at Tichmarsh, July 

 26th, 1898. 



164. Dotterel. Eudromias morinellus (Linn.). 

 A rare visitor during the autumn and spring 



migrations, of which the late Lord Lilford 

 received two specimens, and others have been 

 reported, but not obtained. 



165. Ringed Plover. /Egia/itis hiaticula 



(Linn.). 

 A rare occasional visitor, of which the only 

 county example is the one in the Northamp- 

 ton Museum, shot in 1866. Such a common 

 bird on the British coasts that it is rather 

 surprising that we have no more records. 



166. Golden Plover. Charadrius pluvialis, 



Linn. 

 A pretty common winter visitor to the 

 Nene valley, seen sometimes in large flocks. 



I saw a trip of about fifty on April 19th, 

 1886, between Irchester and WoUaston, 

 evidently on their way north to breed, nearly 

 all of which had put on the black breast of 

 the summer plumage. 



[Grey Plover. Squatarola helvetica (Linn.). 



Has been reported from Northants, but 

 tangible evidence of its occurrence in the 

 county is still wanting.] 



167. Lapwing or Peewit. Vanellus vulgaris, 



Bechstein. 

 A common resident, breeding in the end of 

 March and throughout April on fallows and 

 rough grass ; decreasing in numbers as a 

 breeding bird, owing to the taking of the eggs 

 by man, crows, rooks and jackdaws. 



168. Oyster-Catcher. Hamatopus ostralegus, 



Linn. 

 A pretty common winter visitor to the 

 more southerly English coasts, wandering 

 rarely inland in England, though in Scotland 

 resident and breeding, often far inland {e.g. in 

 the heart of Perthshire). Has been once shot, 

 and more than once reported as seen or heard 

 in our county [Lilford, ii. 27, 28). 



i6g. Grey Phahrope. Phalaropus fuUcarius 

 (Linn.). 

 A rare irregular winter visitor to Britain, 

 twice recorded as occurring in Northants {Lil- 

 ford, ii. 33, 34). The red-necked phalarope, 

 P. hyperhoreus (Linn.), has not yet been ob- 

 tained in our county. 



170. Woodcock. Scolopax rusticula, Linn. 



A regular autumn visitor, though not in the 

 same numbers in which it occurs in other 

 parts of the British Islands. Has bred occa- 

 sionally (see Lilford, ii. 37, 38), but I have no 

 recent evidence of this. I have had a good 

 deal of experience of woodcocks' nests in the 

 north, and have observed that they require 

 shady and undisturbed woods for daylight, and 

 marshy fields adjacent where they can feed at 

 night and teach their young to probe, carrying 

 them there at nightfall till they can carry 

 themselves. Unless there is the conjunction 

 of these two elements, they seldom or never 

 remain to breed. Now the area in Northants 

 of ground wet enough during the summer to be 

 pierced by a youthful beak and near suitable 

 woods is not very large, and is probably de- 

 creasing. 



171. Great Snipe. Gallinaga major {GmeUn). 

 A rare autumn visitor, most of the so-called 



great snipes reported being only fine specimens 

 of the following. One has been shot in the 

 county, and several more reported {Lilford, ii. 



125 



