458 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Lancashire, Kent, and Pembroke during the season of 1887-88. 

 A very fine adult male Pochard shot below Lilford. 



Feb. 10th. My son wrote: — "I saw on Monday last in the 

 Rectory curtilage at Achurch a yellow Blackbird. It was pure 

 yellow, without a black spot on it, and of a lighter colour than 

 the Blackbird that appeared some years ago in the Cuckoo-pen" 

 (c/. Zool. Sept. 1884). 



Feb. 16th. "The snow lies from six to eight inches deep; 

 I was at the Hut (for hawk-catching) alone, about 8.30 a.m., a 

 Peregrine tiercel came in the field, and made one stoop at my 

 pigeon, but did not bind ; he did not return that day, frightened, 

 I think, by men carting stone from the pits." — R. C. 



The Rev. H. H. Slater, of Irchester Vicarage, who kindly went, 

 at my request, to Rushclen to verify a report that had reached me 

 some time ago of the occurrence of a Cormorant in that neigh- 

 bourhood, wrote on Feb. 21st: — "I hunted up Mrs. Allen, who 

 allowed me to examine the bird, as far as possible, considering 

 that it was in a case. It is a young Shag, Phalacrocorax graculus, 

 the top of the head and back, and especially the primaries, having 



in some degree their bottle-green sheen Mrs. Allen informed 



me that she thought another was caught at the same time ; and, 

 after some inquiries, I came upon the owner, who had an exactly 

 similar specimen. His wife informed me that it was a Sunday 

 about the middle of August last, probably the 21st, as they were 

 standing at their door (which is in a new street), watching some 

 pigeons, when two curious birds came flopping down between two 

 of the unfinished houses opposite ; he went and collared one and 

 young Allen the other ; he kept his for three days, and fed it 

 upon worms ; the former one was stuffed at Irthlingborough," — 

 by Mr. C. F. Dyer, who gave me the original information of the 

 occurrence in a letter dated Jan. 6th, 1888. 



Feb. 29th. A female Pochard shot close to the house at 

 Lilford. 



March 1st. " Ward (one of our watchers) saw four Peregrines 

 playing and screaming together over the park." — S. J. 



March 4th. " One male Pintail and fifty Wild Ducks on 

 decoy.' — R. S. 



March 5th. " Saw four Pintails near the house; they came 

 straight across the meadow over my head ; I could plainly see the 

 long feathers in the tails of two of them." — D. M. 



