A HISTORY OF 
102. Kite. A4ilvus ictinus, Savigny. 
Evidently by no means a rare nesting 
species in the county during the early years 
of the past century, but it must have been 
exterminated soon afterwards, for no recent 
record can be traced of this bird even as a 
visitant with us, ‘The only two instances 
that can be given are one shot at Bromham 
Park some time in the ‘thirties,’ and another 
some few years afterwards in Cleat Lane near 
Clapham Wood. An old gamekeeper named 
Goodliff assured me that in his early days 
(about 1813) both the kite and buzzard built 
fairly commonly in the woods at Keysoe and 
Bushmead, and he had often taken the eggs 
of both species. Another keeper said it 
formerly nested in the woods around Haynes. 
Mr. J. King from another old informant 
learned that it once nested in a row of elm 
trees between Langford and Holme, and he 
says his father could remember this bird 
occasionally being seen at Southill. Mr. A. 
Covington reports it as formerly nesting around 
Bolnhurst and Keysoe, where his uncle knew 
it well and had taken its eggs, and also reared 
young birds from the nest. A pair built a nest 
in Silsoe Woods, but both were destroyed. 
103. Honey-Buzzard. Pernis apivorus (Linn.) 
A rare summer visitant ; it probably nested 
in limited numbers in former years. About 
1852 a honey-buzzard was caught in a ver- 
min trap in the woods at Haynes Park, and 
is now stuffed and in possession of the owner 
of the property (Naturalist, B. R. Morris, 
1855). In June 1871 a female was taken at 
Silsoe, and eggs as large as sloes were found 
in the ovaries. Its crop contained grass- 
hoppers and other insects (Zoologist). A very 
dark female in the writer’s possession was 
shot at Warden Warren 27 May 1874. On 
2 October 1883 one was shot at Harrold and 
passed through the hands of Mr. A. Covington. 
A female that I recently examined was ob- 
tained at Potton Wood 8 June rgor. 
104. Peregrine Falcon. 
Tunstall. 
This bird is a regular winter visitor to our 
county, occurring most frequently from No- 
vember till February, and in single instances 
only as early as August and as late as April. 
Seldom a year passes without reports of one 
or more being seen or killed. Most examples 
are in immature plumage. 
Fako peregrinus, 
105. Hobby. Falco subbuteo, Linn. 
This bird formerly nested in Keysoe Wood ; 
the last pair that frequented Bromham Park 
were shot from the nest by the keeper in 
BEDFORDSHIRE 
June 1865. About 1880 a nest of young 
was taken at Colmworth, and passed into the 
hands of Mr. Bryant, poulterer, Bedford. 
According to Mr. P. Addington it used to 
nest regularly in Colmworth Wood, utilizing 
the crows’ old nests. A former keeper at 
Odell Wood shot three young hobbies just 
after leaving their nest, one of which I have 
seen; and I was told by Gell, the present 
gamekeeper, that about 1883, when first he 
came to Odell Woods, he set traps in the 
various crows’ nests, and once caught a hobby 
in a small wood by the road; during the 
afternoon of the same day he shot another 
close by. He also informed me that his 
father had two specimens set up in a case, 
which were shot near Knotting Wood. ‘The 
most recent records of the hobby nesting in 
Bedfordshire occurred in the woods adjacent 
to Turvey Park on the Stagsden side. In 
1890 Cowley, a working man with a good 
knowledge of local birds, took four eggs from 
a wood close to Turvey Park ; in 1891 Mr. D. 
Campbell took three, and on 31 May 1892 
he and Mr. A. F. Crossman took four more 
from a plantation in the same locality ; in 
each case the nest of the carrion crow had 
‘been adopted. ‘The female of a pair in the 
woods at Turvey was killed in1897. Mr. J. 
King mentions that the last instance of the 
hobby near Langford was in 1894, and gives 
the following records in that neighbourhood : 
one shot on 16 September 1853, another a 
week later ; one on 18 May 1854, and one 
on 22 September 1891. In 1901 one was 
trapped in a wood near Podington. 
106. Merlin. Faso esalon, Tunstall. 
A scarce winter visitant, and of far more 
frequent occurrence years ago, when several 
might have been observed at the local taxi- 
dermist’s shop. Now a year or so may pass 
without even one being recorded. Immature 
birds are far commoner than adults, and occur 
throughout the winter months. ‘The parish 
of Elstow seems always to have been the 
principal locality in which this bird has been 
obtained. Mr. A. Covington states that about 
twenty-five years ago he received as many as 
three in one week from that place. The 
following are some of the most recent occur- 
rences: At Elstow in 1889, on 30 January 
1897, and in September 1898, also in Novem- 
ber 1901 and January 1902; at Renhold 
close to the river about 1888 ; at Harrowden 
in April 1890 and on 10 November 1891 ; 
at Felmersham on 24 February 1894; at 
Newnham on the sewage farm in October 
1894; at Cardington on 29 October 1897 
and at Tingrith about 1898. 
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