212 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



11th. I received a somewhat vague, but perfectly authentic, 

 report of Swans, Geese, Gulls, and many Ducks on the flooded 

 meadows below Oundle. 



12th. Mr. W. J. Horn, in a letter received this morning, 

 informed me that he visited Ruvensthorpe Reservoir on 9th inst., 

 and found between 400 and 500 wildfowl — Mallard, Teal, and 

 Pochards — thereon ; he also noticed two grey-mantled Gulls, and 

 two birds which, from his description, must, I think, have been 

 Divers, in all probability Red-throated. Capt. J. A. M. Vipan, of 

 Stibbington, wrote to me, under this date, that on Jan. 24th ult. 

 he observed fourteen Swans on the floods near Water Newton ; 

 he went down after them with punt and big gun, and found 

 nineteen in two "lots" of eleven and eight respectively; the 

 eleven would not let him get within 200 yards, but he could see 

 with the glasses that they were " all certainly Bewick's Swans." 

 He got a long shot at the other lot (amongst which he could 

 detect some Mute Swans), and eventually secured two Whoopers 

 and one Mute ; one of the Whoopers weighed nearly 20 lbs. He 

 adds that he was informed that there were about twenty Swans 

 on the same spot yesterday morning (11th inst.). 



13th. Four Swans seen near Ditchford Station L.N.W.R. 



15th. Three Swans, " making a whooping noise," on wing 

 near Achurch ; reported by one of our gamekeepers. 



16th. I heard from Capt. Vipan that he had seen nineteen 

 Swans swimming on the floods above Wansford yesterday, but 

 they had been so disturbed that they would not allow him to get 

 near enough to make certain of their species ; he adds that 

 amongst the eleven Bewick's Swans seen by him on 24th ult. 

 (cf. supra) there was one grey bird. 



17th. The Song Thrushes are re-appearing in force after a 

 nearly entire absence of about three months. Considerable 

 passage of Peewits, Mallard, and a few Golden Plovers, to the 

 north-east, observed near Lilford. 



19th. Three "wild" Swans reported by our coachman near 

 Aldwincle. 



23rd. Five Swans seen on wing near Aldwincle. 



28th. Mr. G. M. Edmonds, of Oundle, writes of having seen 

 twelve Swans flying over his gravel-pit a few days ago ; and our 

 coachman reported that he saw six Swans this morning near 

 Thorpe Waterville. One Goldeneye upon the decov-pool. 



