210 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES on THE OENITHOLOGY of NOKTHAMPTONSHIKE 

 AND NEIGHBOURHOOD for 1893. 



By the Rt. Hon. Lord Lilford, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 





I continue iny notes from the end of 1892 (Zool. 1893, 

 p. 97). 



January. 



1st. I received a letter from the Eev. Henry H. Slater, of 

 Irchester Vicarage, in which he informed me that he had ob- 

 served four Buzzards together (apparently on passage), near that 

 place, on Sept. 26th ult. I noticed my old Raven rolling with 

 evident enjoyment, and, if I may use the term, "dusting" him- 

 self, in the snow in front of the house. 



2nd. R. C. reported a vast flight of Wood Pigeons as passing 

 up our valley near Lilford in a westerly direction this morning ; 

 he did not see the head of the column, but told me that he watched 

 the passage " in a thick stream" for at least ten minutes. Snow- 

 showers and 16 degrees of frost. 



8th. Thaw set in, after a maximum of 27 deg. of frost on 

 5th inst. Some three hundred Mallard seen on a ploughed field 

 a few days ago, near Oundle Wood, reported to me by Mr. McKee, 

 of Oundle. 



12th. A solitary male Pochard shot near Aldwincle. 



14th. Our engine-man tells me that about the beginning of 

 this month he several times noticed a Dipper near the engine- 

 house and Lilford Locks, and that a good many Siskins are 

 haunting the alders along the river-side. Slight fall of snow. 



15th. Two large Grebes seen on the river near our boat-house. 



23rd. Dull, and very mild. Wood Pigeons in full " coo" near 

 the house. 



26th. I heard from Mr. W. J. Horn, of Kingsthorpe, that a 

 Great Grey Shrike was seen and shot at near Weston Favell, on 

 Nov. 1st ult. R. C. reported that on 23rd inst. two Swans, that 

 he felt certain were Bewick's, visited our park-pond. 



27th. Nine geese passed up the valley near Lilford in a S.W. 

 direction. A big lot of "fowl" reported on the river near Ald- 

 wincle. A large "parliament" of Rooks upon Pilton meadow 

 just before sunset. These assemblages of Rooks are, in my 



