48 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



12th. Two Canada Geese seen near Wadenhoe by my son. 

 These birds are wanderers from Mr. H. S. O'Brien's lake at 

 Blatherwyche ; a few visit us annually, but this is the first report 

 of them that has reached me for this year. Mr. John Crisp 

 informs me of an unusual number of Wigeon on our river near 

 Elton. 



14th. Twenty-five Wigeon on our decoy-pool. 



17th. " Green Sandpiper onLowick brook." — H. H. S. This 

 is rather an unusual time, in my experience, for the appearance 

 of this erratic species in our neighbourhood, although I have 

 records of its occurrence therein for every month of the year. 



18th. The decoy-man reports six Swans, apparently Whoopers, 

 near the decoy. 



19th. "At dusk a Woodcock flew near me in the Bedford 

 Purlieus, uttering the curious half-grunt, half- squeak, that they 

 use only during the breeding season. Rooks have eggs. Saw a 

 Cuckoo. Viper out basking/' — H.H. S. A Stock Dove sitting 

 on two eggs near the house at Lilford. 



21st. The falconer assures me that he has known of Song 

 Thrushes' nests with eggs for more than a fortnight past. I 

 received a letter from Mr. G. Charlton, informing me that on the 

 18th inst. he observed hundreds of Starlings hawking for insects, 

 as is their common habit in summer, near Boughton, Kettering. 

 Tawny Owl sits with three eggs near Lilford. 



24th. First eggs of Peewit brought in. 



25th. Under this date Mr. Thos. W. Fitzwilliam informed me 

 that several pairs of Books were nesting in the Heronry at 

 Milton. 



29th. A Green Sandpiper was taken at the decoy and brought 

 to me alive. This bird is still alive and thriving in our aviary 

 (Jan. 7th, 1895). The falconer tells me that he noticed three 

 Pied Woodpeckers this morning on the same tree — no doubt love- 

 making; this species, though not very rare, can hardly be 

 considered as common in our immediate neighbourhood. 



April. 



2nd* The falconer, who climbed to the Raven's nest to-day 



(see Feb. 28th), told me that it contained three eggs, and 



that both parent birds attacked him savagely. This nest is 



situated at about 18 ft. from the ground, and although it can be 



