NOTES FROM NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 497 
that I have ever received concerning a nest of Snipe in 
Northamptonshire. 
May 10th. “A male Wigeon dropped into the decoy on 4th; 
it stops on the pool, and is getting very tame.”—R. 8. Major 
C. J. Strong, under this date from Thorpe Hall, near Peter- 
borough, wrote :—“ Knowing that you like to note the occurrence 
of any uncommon bird in this county, I write to say that a male 
Pied Flycatcher passed May-day here. I saw him several times 
on that day, but, alas! on the next, his place—generally a wire- 
fence—knew him not, and I suppose he had moved on.” 
May 18th. Mr. G. Hunt informed me that thirty-five Whim- 
brels passed up our valley on 9th inst. 
. May 17th. “I saw a large Curlew on 10th.”—R. 8. 
May 28th. Our butler, who has a very fair acquaintance with 
British birds, assured me that he saw and closely identified a 
male Cirl Bunting near Achurch. He first saw this bird yesterday 
morning, and on my expressing some doubt, went this afternoon 
to the spot where he had seen it, and had so near a view that he 
is quite convinced as to species and sex. I am only acquainted ~ 
with two previous occurrences of the Cirl Bunting in North- 
amptonshire. 
June 4th. First hatch of Partridges reported—very early for 
our neighbourhood. A Great Titmouse is sitting on ten eggs in 
a disused iron pump in the kitchen garden, her only meaus of 
access to the nest being literally “up the spout.” On the removal 
of the iron pump-cover she seldom retires further than into this 
spout, whence she hisses and snaps at visitors. I am glad to say 
that this bird, in spite of constant disturbance, succeeded in taking 
off seven young ones into the garden. 
June 8th. Three male Shovellers dropped into the decoy, and 
were caught and brought to me; they were in beautiful plumage, 
only just beginning to moult. I had three pinioned widows 
of this species on my wildfowl-pond, and placed these roving 
gentlemen at their disposal; another solitary male was taken on 
the decoy on the 10th inst., and turned down with the others. 
The Shoveller is by no means common in Northamptonshire at 
any time of year, and I am rather puzzled to account for the 
occurrence of these four adult males here at this season. I can 
only suppose that they had retired to moult to some spot from 
which they were driven by the heavy floods which prevailed in 
