OENITHOLOGY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 55 



cousin of his, Mr. Richard Dunkley, after a severe storm in the 

 month of November. 



16tn. The decoy-man reports a single Whimbrel near the 

 decoy ; he is well acquainted with the differences between this 

 bird and the Curlew, and I have no reason to doubt his accuracy ; 

 but this is a most unusual time of year for the appearance of 

 Whimbrel in this neighbourhood, although many travel up our 

 valley in August and September, and we generally see a few 

 during the return passage in May. A Common Guillemot was 

 caught alive by a shepherd at Kislingbury, and taken alive by 

 him to Mr. Chas. Watts, of Kislingbury House, who was good 

 enough to make me a present of the bird, stuffed by Mr. G. 

 Bazeley. This is the first Northamptonshire Guillemot that 

 I have hitherto seen, or, to the best of my recollection, ever 

 heard of. 



18th. About thirty Golden Plovers feeding on the meadows 

 near the decoy. 



19th. Two Swans on the flood-water near Achurch. 



23rd. A female Pintail dropped into the decoy with a bunch 

 of Teal at morning flight time. 



26th. Mr. G. Nevile assured me that there are three broods 

 of young Rooks just out of their nests in high elms at Pilton. 



December. 

 3rd — 31st. A good many Mallard, and a few other fowl, on 

 the decoy ; but they were all what the decoy -man calls " stiff," 

 and would not work to the dog. Our total catch since the last 

 week of November inclusive only amounted to sixty head, con- 

 sisting of thirty-nine Mallard, fifteen Teal, one Gadwall, one 

 Pochard, three Wigeon, and last, not least, a very beautiful 

 hybrid male of Teal and Mallard. This is without doubt of the 

 race originally described by Pennant under the name of " Bi- 

 maculated Duck," and subsequently wrongly identified as Anas 

 and Querquedula glocitans, to which species it has a certain 

 resemblance in colour ; but this specimen is considerably larger 

 than the latter bird, and is, in fact, well described and figured 

 in 'Yarrell,' 2nd ed. vol. iii. p. 260, under the heading of " Bi- 

 maculated Duck, A. glocitans." I may mention that this is the 

 first specimen of this hybrid that I ever saw. Amongst the "fowl " 

 that appeared on our decoy during this month were several 



