

NOTES FROM NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 459 



March 9th. " Whilst I was at the hawk-hut to-day, a man on 

 the other side of the river disturbed a flock of twenty or thirty 

 ducks ; they flew in my direction, so near that I could plainly see 

 four Pintails amongst them : a male of that species visited the 

 aviary-pond on the 7th and 8th." — R. C. 



March 15th. "At 4 p.m. I saw a Wild Swan fly slowly up 

 the river ; it wheeled round a few times to look at those on the 

 park-pond. As yet I only know of one Wild Duck's nest with 

 eggs." — E. C. " Thirty Wigeon this morning on flooded meadows 

 below the house. About 100 Golden Plovers passing over. Shel- 

 drake seen up the river yesterday near Thorpe." — S. J. 



March 20th. " Three Swans near Lilford boat-house."— R. C. 



March 22nd. " There are twenty Ducks, three Teal, twenty- 

 eight Wigeon, and one Eed-headed Pochard on the decoy. I saw 

 150 Ducks on the floods yesterday, also six Snipes and thirty 

 Stints. One Curlew on the 18th. I saw a large, very dark hawk 

 on the 21st ; a large number of Golden Plovers on the meadows." 

 — R. S. 



April 5th. " There are thirty Ducks, forty Wigeons, and eight 

 Teal on the decoy. I saw a Summer Teal drake on the decoy on 

 the 2nd, and on the 3rd a pair of Shovel Ducks and five Red- 

 shanks. There are several Snipes still about." — R. S. 



April 6th. " The weather is so cold that birds are very back- 

 ward — indeed everything else is much behindhand. I forward six 

 Plover's eggs found yesterday ; they are the first I have seen this 

 year. No arrival of spring birds as yet ; the Grey Crow and Field- 

 fare are still here." — D. M. 



April 1 1th. " Just caught a young Falcon (at the hut) ; she 

 is last year's bird, very high in condition, well-made, with beautiful 

 sharp-pointed sails ; she made fifteen stoops at my pigeon without 

 binding till the sixteenth." — R. C. 



April 13th. " I saw three Herring Gulls going N.E., and on 

 14th four large flocks of Fieldfares going S.W. On the 14th a 

 Kestrel came at my pigeon on the rere-pole (at the hut), and got 

 hold of it ; the pigeon used her wings freely, and away underneath 

 her turf, followed by the hawk, who had to return quick; the 

 pigeon was best man." — R. C. 



April 24th. "I saw four large Sea-Gulls and two Snipes, and 

 on the 26th three Snipes. The floods have put all the Green 

 Plovers off our meadows now." — R. S. 



2 N 2 



