OCCASIONAL NOTES. 61 
OrnirHotoaicat Norges rrom NorTHAMPTONSHIRE.—I am informed 
by Mr. W. Tomalin, of Northampton, in a letter dated December 9th, that 
a specimen of the Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor, was shot about 
three weeks before that date, in Midsummer Meadow, in the town of 
Northampton. About the end of December last I received a fine living 
specimen of this species from Mr. W. Taylor, of Kettering, who informs 
me that he obtained it from a birdcatcher, who captured it near Glendon, 
Northamptonshire, by means of a limed twig, on November 19th. This bird 
appears to me to be a young one of the year, and is still alive, in good 
health and plumage. I notice that when I give him a piece of meat too 
large to be. swallowed at once, he does not stand upon and tear it to pieces, 
after the manner of the Falconide in like cases, but holds it grasped in one 
foot, and picks it to pieces in the same way as does the Scops Owl, Scops 
aldrovandi, of which species I have a pair alive by my side as I write 
these lines. This Shrike is a voracious feeder, but will not eat much at a 
time; he is very fond of mealworms, which he takes readily from my hand. 
Mr. W. Tomalin has recorded in ‘ The Field’ of December 11th, and given 
me private information of, the occurrence of a Shag, Graculus cristatus, 
which was shot on the 2nd of that month from the chimney (175 ft. high) 
of the Gayton Brick and Tile Works, five miles west of Northampton. He 
adds that he had heard that two other birds of this species were shot the 
week before this occurrence at Yelvertoft, in Northamptonshire—Litrorp. 
RovGH-LEGGED Buzzards IN THE StewartRy oF KirKcUDBRIGHT.— 
I have heard of the occurrence of five Rough-legged Buzzards in the 
Stewartry, and one at Blackwood, in Dumfriesshire, during the past 
autumn. ‘The latter, and four of the Stewartry birds, I had an oppor- 
tunity of examining in the shop of Mr. Hastings, our local taxidermist. 
They are all noble specimens; two of them are very dark in colour, 
and the other three are considerably lighter. The dates and localities 
are as follow; so far as I can learn:—29th October, parish of South- 
wick, two; Blackwood (Dumfriesshire), one ; 5th November, Newabbey, 
one; 9th November, near Castle Douglas, one; 24th November, New- 
abbey, one. It is perhaps worth noting that Newabbey and Southwick 
are both seaboard parishes. The Rough-legged Buzzards were very 
probably accompanied by a flight of Common “ Gleds,” as I have heard of 
numerous “Gleds” being seen and shot. Three of those I examined were 
Common Buzzards, but doubtless some of the others would be the 
Rough-legged species. In spite of continued persecution by keepers and 
shepherds, the Common Buzzard still breeds in several localities in the 
north-west of the Stewartry, but I do not think those that have been seen 
and procured during the last two months were native-bred birds.—Roserr 
Service (Maxwelltown, N. B.) 
