A HISTORY OF KENT 



the same place a male was shot on 1 1 Decem- 

 ber 1894, and on the following day a female 

 was taken near Ramsgate. Lastly, in 1897, 

 a male bird was killed in Penshurst Park. 



N.B. — The Golden Eagle has never been 

 identified in the county ; birds recorded under 

 this name having proved to be immature 

 examples of the white-tailed eagle. 



125. Goshawk. A stur pa lumbar ius {L\nn.) 

 This is another rare visitor to the county. 



I have only two records. An adult female 

 was killed at Tredville Park near Wingham 

 in the time of the late owner, Mr. Plumtre. 

 It is still in the house, and in good preserva- 

 tion. The other record of its appearance 

 dates back as far as May, 1 844, at Swingfield 

 near Dover. 



126. Sparrow-Hawk. A ccipher nhus {L\nn.) 

 This hawk is getting scarce, breeding now 



sparingly in the Weald. The thick portions 

 of the Bedgebury and Hemsted woods near 

 Cranbrook often defy the keepers' search, and 

 consequently not a few broods, reared in these 

 localities, escape at least premature destruc- 

 tion. During the winter the old nest is 

 resorted to as a roosting place, and in this 

 way the birds often fall victims to the trap 

 placed on the nest by the keepers. In the 

 autumn the majority of the individuals bred 

 in the thick woods leave and frequent the less 

 enclosed portions of the county. 



127. Kite. Milvus ictinus, Savigny. 



Very rare. At the beginning of the 

 eighteenth century this magnificent bird was 

 common, but owing to cultivation, the in- 

 crease of game preservation and the greed of 

 collectors, it is no longer met with in the county. 

 In the Plomley collection, Dover Museum, 

 there are two specimens, obtained many years 

 ago near Lydd. Mr. Meade-Waldo informs 

 me that in September 1877 he observed a 

 kite on three occasions near Edenbridge. In 

 1889 an adult male was killed near Stour- 

 mouth, and is the property of Mr. J. C. Kay 

 of Godmersham (Dowker). 



128. Honey-Buzzard. Pernis apivorus (Linn.) 

 An occasional visitor on migration, gener- 

 ally in August and September, when stragglers 

 find their way to our wooded districts. 



129. Peregrine Falcon. Fa/co peregrinus, 



Tunstall. 



This falcon still breeds in the inaccessible 



portions of the Dover cliffs, and Mr. Gray, of 



the Dover Museum, informed me that no 



fewer than three pairs nested in 1899 in the 



district. One nest was, unfortunately, thrown 

 down by a partial landslip. The eggs, though 

 much damaged, have been preserved and are 

 now in the museum. This falcon is observed 

 from time to time in the vicinity of our 

 estuaries and the shore line. The writer has 

 seen this species on the Lydd beach, pursuing 

 and dogging the large flocks of starlings that 

 congregate there in October during the 

 migration period. 



130. Hobby. Falco sutbuteo, Linn. 



An occasional summer visitor to Kent. I 

 have no record of its breeding with us. In 

 June 1864 a male hobby was shot in a cherry 

 orchard near Sittingbourne, and the female 

 was seen (Prentis). I have an adult male 

 in my collection, obtained at Eastwell in May, 

 1894. 



131. Merlin. Fa/co asahn, TunstaW. 

 Uncommon ; met with in the county 



during the autumn and winter months. This 

 falcon is more often observed on our marshes, 

 where it preys upon waders and starlings. 



132. Red-footed Falcon. Fa/co vespertinus, 



Linn. 

 Very rare. There is only one occurrence 

 for Kent. In the early summer of 1862 an 

 adult female was taken at Sandling Park near 

 Hythe (Hammond, Zoo/. 1862, p. 8192). 

 This falcon is sometimes named the orange- 

 legged hobby. 



133. Kestrel. Fa/co timmncu/uSy Linn. 

 This is our common hawk, but of late years 



its numbers have been sadly reduced owing to 

 its persecution by gamekeepers. In the autumn 

 a certain number leave us. They may fre- 

 quently be observed on the Lydd beach at the 

 end of September prior to crossing the Channel. 

 This bird sometimes selects curious sites for 

 its nest. In 1876, at Bromley, Kent, a nest 

 was taken in a hollow tree containing six 

 eggs — an unusual number {Fie/d, 3 June 

 1^7 6). From Edenbridge Mr. Meade- Waldo 

 writes : ' With me, many nest in hollow 

 trees, and annually in the boxes placed to ac- 

 commodate owls.' 



134. Lesser Kestrel. Fa/co cenc/n-h, 1>i3.\xrmnn. 

 Only one example of this extremely rare 



kestrel has been obtained in the county. In 

 May 1877 an adult female was taken alive 

 near Dover and kept for some time in con- 

 finement (Gordon, Zoo/. 1877, p. 298); the 

 specimen is now in the Dover Museum. 



135. Osprey. Pandion hia/taetus (Linn.) 



A rare visitor to Kent. It has been 



