AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 153 



the abundance of winter berries in most parts of the 

 county ought to attract them, but, as I have before 

 said, ornithological records are lamentably wanting 

 amongst us, and I feel convinced that our list of 

 Northamptonshire birds might be increased, on ex- 

 cellent authority, by at least fifty species, if only a 

 few of those persons who possess some knowledge of 

 ornithology would take the trouble to keep careful 

 notes, and publish their observations, with the exact 

 dates and localities, of any unusual occurrences. 

 I do not, of course, expect that our list of birds 

 can ever rival those of the eastern counties, but I 

 earnestly wish to rouse the emulation of our native 

 naturalists in this respect. 



Since the above article was written, two other 

 perfectly well authenticated occurrences of the 

 Waxwing in our county have come to my know- 

 ledge ; the first of these was a specimen observed 

 at a short distance by Mr. Ed. Skrimshire in his 

 garden at Stoke Doyle on January 13, 1887, and the 

 second, apparently a solitary female, was seen by the 

 Rev. H. H. and Mrs. Slater at a very short distance 

 from them, near Ditchford Bridge, on February 3rd, 

 1S90. I have recorded these occurrences in the 

 ' Zoologist ' under the respective dates given above. 



65. PIED WAGTAIL. 



Motacilla yarrellii. 



This species, better known to our country-people 

 as " Dish-washer," is very common with us from 

 February till the end of September, when its numbers 

 very sensibly decrease, and in the frequent event of 

 a severe frost very few of these pretty birds remain 

 in our neighbourhood, though now and then a Wag- 



