54 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



some time past. My son told me of seeing a Short-eared Owl on 

 Wigsthorpe Wolds to-day. My trained Goshawk, "Jessica," 

 received from France as a nestling in the summer of 1893, and a 

 really good rabhit-hawk, took her first hare to-day. 



30th. Young Books crying loudly from a nest in tall elm-tree 

 near Thorpe Station. 



November. 



5th. My son, who was shooting on Pilton to-day, tells me 

 that they put a Little Owl and a Barn Owl together out of some 

 old bushy stone-pits. 



6th. Mr. G. Bazeley (cf. 27th ult., supra) tells me that Harle- 

 stone Firs have suddenly been invaded by large numbers of Jays, 

 of which species hardly any had been seen there for several 

 months. He adds that the Crossbills have entirely quitted that 

 locality, and attributes their disappearance to the advent and 

 persecution of the Jays. A beautiful old female Peregrine was 

 shot whilst carrying off a Pigeon near Peakirk, and sent to me in 

 the flesh by her destroyer, who informed me that he had been 

 told that his victim was a " Humming Buzzard " (sic). He also 

 told me that he had killed an Osprey during barley-harvest, in 

 the same district, some years ago. 



7th. Wood Pigeons coming in swarms to feed on the fallen 

 beech-mast about Lilford. 



9th. I received, from Mr. G. Bazeley, a stuffed specimen 

 (immature) of Common Tern, killed at Ravensthorpe Beservoir 

 on 31st ult., a very late date for this species in our county. 



10th. The falconer tells me of having recently noticed a very 

 unusual abundance of Kestrels and Sparrowhawks, and two Pere- 

 grines, close to the house at Lilford ; and to-day a great passage 

 of Peewits towards the south. 



11th. I heard, from Mr. William Bazeley, of many Kittiwakes 

 about the meadows near Northampton, and that he had received 

 a Great Northern Diver for preservation that was killed at 

 Bavensthorpe Beservoir on 6th inst. I may add that this bird, 

 a female in immature plumage, was subsequently most courteously 

 presented to me by Mr. John Ewnson, C.E., and is the first 

 Northamptonshire specimen of which I have personal know- 

 ledge. Mr. W. Tomalin, however, informs me that a Great 

 Northern Diver was killed at Kingsthorpe about 1855, by a 



