292 THE BIRD8 OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Pheasant. The few Black Game which, with great 

 toil, we had the good fortune to bring to bag in these 

 last-mentioned localities in August 1858 had their 

 crops crammed with cranberries and seeds of the 

 rush *. 



120. RED GROUSE. 



Lagopus scotlcus. 



A fine male bird of this species was shot in 

 November 1892 near Warkworth in Northampton- 

 shire, and was most kindly presented to me, stuffed 

 and mounted, in September of the following year by 

 Mr. F. W. Holland, of Eydon Hall. I leave my 

 readers to form their own conclusions as to the bona 

 fide traveller or " escape " question with regard to 

 this bird, and can only say that its plumage bore no 

 trace whatever of confinement or captivity. The 

 occurrence was originally communicated to me by 

 Mr. O. V. Aplin, whose work, ' The Birds of Oxford- 

 shire,' is probably well known to those interested 

 in British ornithology, and to whom I am greatly 

 indebted for many valuable notes on the birds of our 

 Oxfordshire frontier. 



121. PHEASANT. 



Pliasianus colchicus. 



It is not my intention to enter into a detailed 

 account of the habits of this well-known bird, which, 

 in most parts of our country, and especially in those 

 where foxes are preserved, can only exist under 

 artificial conditions and human protection. Our 



* Whilst engaged on the present revision of these ' Notes,' 

 March 18, 1895, a fine adult Grey-hen was brought in to me, killed 

 on the afternoon of that day between Wigsthorpe and Clapton. 

 This bird showed no symptoms of privation of liberty, or food. 



