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 NOTES ON THE BIEDS OF WILTSHIRE. 



BY 



G. BATHURST HONY, M.B.O.U. 



Since the appearance of the Rev. A. C. Smith's Birds of 

 Wiltshire in 1887 many new county records have naturally 

 occurred. I now propose to give the more interesting of 

 those I have collected, some of which have been published 

 before, but many of which are now published for the first 

 time. Perhaps the presentation of these in a collected 

 form may cause other records to be brought to light. 



Smith records the occurrence of 235 species, but he was 

 too wont — ^to use his own words — to " give the prisoner 

 the benefit of the doubt." For the present, the following 

 nine species must be placed in brackets as bemg admitted 

 on insufficient evidence, or not beiug genuine wild birds, 

 though facts may come to light ^Ahich will put some of them 

 on a sound footing. 



Unsatisfactory Records Admitted in Smith's Birds 

 of Wiltshire. 



[Black Woodpecker {Dryocopus m. martins). — Our Wilt- 

 shire specimen seems to be better authenticated than any 

 other English record. It is in the collection formed by 

 the late Mr. James Rawlence, at Bulbridge, Wilton ; he 

 received it from Mr. Pope, of Kingston DeverUl Farm, who 

 said it was killed durmg rook shooting at Longleat Park. 

 The exact date is unknown, but the brother of the present 

 owner, writing to The Standard of September 30th, 1897, 

 says : " I hunted up the son of the late Mr. King, who stuffed 

 the bird in our collection, and he informs me that as a lad 

 he has a very clear recollection of the bird coming to his 

 father in the flesh for preservation from Longleat ... it 

 made a great impression on both his father and him." This 

 specimen does not appear to have been known to either 

 Howard Saunders or J. H. Gurney.] 



[Golden-winged Woodpecker {Colaptes auratus) was 

 not accepted by Newton in Yarrell (II., 486). The recent 

 Hand-List of British Birds says, "the specimen said to 

 have been shot in Wilts in 1836 was no doubt due to 

 importation."] 



[Desert Buzzard {Buteo b. desertorum) was not admitted 

 by Saunders {Manual, p. 322).] 



