BIRDS 



Kent, November 1881 [Field, 18 November to a light brown, obtained in May, June and 

 1881). July, from 1866 to 1870, 1888 and 1898 



respectively. This species has bred in the 

 county near Wingham (Oxenden Ham- 

 mond, Zool. 1897, p. 363). 



117. Little Owl. Athena noctua {?>co^o\\) 

 An accidental visitor. It is difficult to say 



whether the examples taken from time to 

 time in England are really wild or not, 

 since many are imported from the continent 

 into this county and purposely liberated. 

 Mr. Meade-Waldo has thoroughly estab- 

 lished this bird as an introduced species at 

 Stonewall Park, Edenbridge. In that district 

 it breeds in holes in old apple trees and under 

 the roots of trees overhanging the railway 

 embankments. In May 1856 one was taken 

 alive at Maidstone {Zool. 1856, p. 5159). 

 Another at Sevenoaks, Kent, 1862, formerly 

 in the collection of the late F. Bond. One 

 near Maidstone (Dover Museum). I have 

 also examined another specimen taken some 

 years ago at Hythe, and belonging to a 

 barber in that town. In August 1894 

 another was obtained at Maidstone (Allchin, 

 Science Gossip, September 1894, p. 159). 

 On 24 October 1902 a female was shot 

 in the Angley woods, Cranbrook, and pre- 

 served by Mr. Springett of that town. 



118. Eagle-Owl. Bubo igijavus, T, Forster. 

 A rare migrant. One in Kent, recorded 



by Latham in the first supplement of his 

 Synopsis. 



119. Marsh-Harrier. Circus aruginosus (Linn.) 

 Seldom obtained now. It formerly haunted 



our marshes before drainage was commenced. 

 In the ' fifties ' this bird was often seen in 

 Romney Marsh. There are two specimens 

 from that locality probably obtained about 

 that time in the Plomley collection, Dover 

 Museum. In June 1867 a fine adult was 

 killed at Rainham (Prentis). 



120. Hen-Harrier. Circus cyaneus (Lmn.) 



A scarce migrant in autumn, when imma- 

 ture birds are sometimes obtained. I have an 

 adult female, killed at Staplehurst in November 

 1892. Old males in the grey plumage are very 

 rare. I have seen a specimen, obtained in 

 Romney Marsh many years ago ; it was the 

 property of Mr. J. D. Walker of New Rom- 

 ney. At his death it was sold and passed 

 into the collection of Mr. Harrison of Folke- 

 stone. 



121. Montagu's Harrier. Circus cineraceus 



(Montagu) 

 A spring migrant, occurring fairly fre- 

 quently in the northern portion of the county. 

 In the collection of Mr. Prentis there are 

 seven specimens, varying from a sooty black 



122. Buzzard. Buieo vulgaris, Lcuch. 



An autumn and winter visitor of irregular 

 occurrence. In November 1870 a large 

 visitation took place. Near Canterbury, on 

 the Godmersham and Chilham estates alone, 

 eight specimens were obtained (Gordon, 

 Zool. 1 87 1, p. 2439). In December 1895 

 another visitation, but in a lesser degree, 

 occurred, when several specimens were ob- 

 tained near Cranbrook and in other parts of 

 the county. The autumn migration chiefly 

 consists of young birds of the year, the 

 adults being seldom met with. When on 

 migration, I have seen this buzzard soar to a 

 great height, and then its flight now and 

 again becomes a series of graceful curves and 

 gyrations. But when a temporary halting- 

 place is taken up, the flight is slow and slug- 

 gish, and seldom higher than the tree-tops, 

 the bird working backwards and forwards after 

 its prey over the same ground diurnally. At 

 dusk, it seems more alert than during the day 

 — a sombre-feathered form, it appears, as it 

 looms and glides past the tree-trunks and over 

 the russet-clad undergrowth in almost noise- 

 less fashion, more after the manner of an owl 

 than a hawk. Owing to the large increase 

 of pheasant-rearing, this bird is ruthlessly 

 trapped and shot. But for this, there is not 

 a doubt that these birds would stay throughout 

 the winter and breed in the Kentish woods. 



123. Rough-legged Buzzard. Buteo lagopus 



(J. F. Gmelin) 

 A rare autumn visitor to the vicinity of our 

 coast. I have a fine adult female, shot on the 

 Lydd beach 30 October 1895. In the 

 same winter another was obtained near East- 

 well, Ashford. It has occurred at Rainham 

 (Prentis). 



124. White-tailed Eagle. Halia^tus albicilla 



(Linn.) 

 Immature birds on migration not unfre- 

 quently occur in the county, generally in 

 November and December, and seldom escape 

 being shot. Of late years the following are 

 the authentic records : In November 1879 

 a pair appeared in the Rainham district, of 

 which one was shot. In early November 

 1885 a fine female was obtained at Minster 

 and is now in the Canterbury Museum. 

 About the same time another bird, a male, 

 was killed at Eastwell Park near Ashford. At 



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