ORNITHOLOGY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 59 



Febi 



ruary 5th 



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16th. Two more Little Auks reported. One shot near 

 Alwalton (which Capt. Vipan got — I skinned it for him); the 

 other at Whitewater. 



March 24th. A frightful wind, lasting for about an hour and 

 a half; its worst fury, fortunately, for only half an hour. It 

 injured my trees dreadfully, and tore up by the roots the largest 

 Platanus occidentalis I had ever seen. And the poor rooks ! 

 We counted sixty-three nests on Friday ; this evening only 

 seventeen were left. Some of the sitting birds stuck to their 

 nests till the trees or branches reached the ground. One we 

 found pinned to the ground by a branch, but not much the worse. 

 Four uninjured eggs were picked up ! Some which were broken 

 contained well-feathered young. 



28th. A Blackbird's nest with three eggs. A Chiffchaff, 

 trying to sing. 



April 8th. Many Chiffchaffs. Two Willow Wrens singing. 



9th. A bright sunny day, yet a small Bat was flying about, 

 — evidently, by his sharp turns, feeding busily — in the full 

 sunshine all the afternoon in my garden. 



12th. A Redstart (male) picked up by one of my boys. 



13th. Swallows reported at Wansford, probably Sand Martins. 



15th. Sand and House Martins on the river at Wansford; no 

 Swallows. 



17th. Swallows. 



18th. Capt. Vipan and I were beating sallows for moths at 

 the Bedford Purlieus, and heard several Grasshopper Warblers 

 singing. 



19th. Tree Pipits, which have evidently been here some days, 

 as they are quite settled down. Cuckoo. 



20th. Nightingale singing. 



24th. Corncrake noisy. 



May 1st. Remembering that I saw Meadow Pipits on Sutton 

 Heath in the breeding season last year, I and the children went 



F3 



