152 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



mentioned of 1849-50 several of these birds were 

 shot in the neighbourhood of Peterborough, one 

 of these (a very fine old male) is now in my 

 collection. Mr. A. G. Elliot, of Stamford, has in- 

 formed me that several were killed in Stamford 

 open field in 1844-45 ; and the Rev. R. S. Baker, of 

 Hargrave, in a letter dated February 15, 1876, writes 

 that " the Waxwing has been shot in this village 

 some years back." Besides these instances I may 

 mention that on December 3, 1875, we heard the 

 chatter of a party of Waxwings passing overhead 

 whilst we were inspecting my aviary in the pleasure- 

 grounds at Lilford ; the air was full of snow, and we 

 could not see the birds, though they seemed to be 

 at no great distance. I must add that I am well 

 acquainted with the note of the Waxwing from 

 having kept many of them in confinement, a pro- 

 ceeding which I cannot recommend, as they have 

 no merit whatever except their beauty, being dull, 

 quarrelsome, greedy, and filthy to an incredible 

 degree, and in most instances dying from plethora 

 after a short captivity. Hips and haws, currants, 

 raisins (in fact, small fruits of all kinds) are voraci- 

 ously devoured by these birds, and appear to be their 

 favourite food, but they will also eat chopped meat, 

 hard-boiled egg, hemp-seed, bread-crumbs, carrots, 

 potatoes, and ants' eggs ; they drink a great deal, 

 but seldom wash, and I have more than once seen a 

 Waxwing deliberately eat its own faeces, though it 

 was abundantly supplied with many varieties of food ; 

 none of these birds ever became tame with me, and 

 I shall certainly never buy any of them again. I 

 have no doubt that a great many more instances of 

 the occurrence of this species in Northamptonshire 

 have taken place than those I have mentioned above ; 



