NOTES FROM NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 423 
away. I caught a young male Sparrowhawk three days ago, and 
set him at liberty."—R. C. [R. Cosgrave, falconer.] 
Nov. 17th. “The Shag (cf. my notes, Sept. Ist, 1884) has a 
crest the usual size. I only noticed it this last week or so.”— 
R. C. This is the first notice that I received of any appearance 
of a crest on this bird, which had lived on our ponds since the 
date last quoted. I may add that this old favourite was drowned 
under the ice on Dec. 14th, 1888, and Mr. J. Cullingford, of 
Durham, to whom I sent it for preservation, in writing to me on 
the 17th of that month, states :—‘‘ The Shag is a male, and very 
fat, not less than a quarter of an inch of fat on the skin; not 
fully through the moult, many of the quills being full of blood.” 
Noy. 19th. “I caught a female Sparrowhawk at the hut this 
morning; she is a bird of the year, and must be a very plucky 
one, as she knocked the Pigeons about like a Peregrine; I sent 
her on to the Rev. Gage E. Freeman. Skelton brought in a 
Water Rail alive, snared at the decoy. I forgot to say thata 
pair of Shovellers visit the Aviary Pond; I first saw them on the 
12th inst.; they are getting tame.”—R. C. 
Nov. 20th. Female Pintail taken, with a few Teal, on the 
decoy. 
Nov. 22nd. “A Bittern shot at Faxton.”— Wm. Bazeley (Sheep 
Street, Northampton), in a letter to me. | 
Dec. 8rd. ‘‘A common brown Buzzard flew over my lodge 
about a fortnight ago, and was seen in Wadenhoe Wood after 
that.”—D. M. 
Jan. 2nd, 1889. ‘I saw Lord Lyveden’s gamekeeper, and he 
told me that he had seen the Buzzard several times about 
Farming Woods, and lately went to Deene Park, where he saw 
it dead at the keeper’s house; it was killed by one of the under- 
keepers in the Corby Woods, and was unfortunately too far gone 
for stuffing.”—D. M. 
Jan. 4th. My son reported about 100 Golden Plovers going 
over southwards. 
Jan. 5th. The same correspondent tells me of fourteen Wild 
Geese passing southwards. 
Jan. 12th. “One male Gadwall on the decoy.”—R. S. 
Jan. 16th. “The Black Vulture, Vuliwr monachus, female 
(taken from a nest in Central Spain in June, 1865) and Griffon 
Vulture, Gyps fulvus (from a nest near Irun in May, 1867) are 
