ORNITHOLOGY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 207 



16th. First report of Snipe since April last. 



26th. First report of Green Sandpipers; two seen near 

 Thorpe Station. 



August. 



4th. One of our gamekeepers shot a very fine adult female 

 Lesser Black-backed Gull from a lot of four flying over Lilford 

 Wood. 



5th. I received as a present from Mrs. Tryon, of Bulwick, a 

 stuffed specimen of White-tailed Eagle, immature. I have never 

 been able to obtain even an approximate date of the occurrence 

 of this Eagle which was killed near Bulwick ; but it was certainly 

 stuffed, cased, and on view in a passage at Bulwick House in 1848. 



10th. Two Peregrines "toying," and screaming high in air, 

 over Lilford Lynches. 



11th. An immature female Shoveller dropped in, and was 

 caught, at the decoy. 



15th. A Jack Snipe seen on Thorpe Bogs by one of our 

 gamekeepers, on whose accuracy I can implicitly rely. The 

 earliest previous record of the appearance of a "Jack" in our 

 neighbourhood that I can find in my note-books is that of one 

 killed by myself in shooting a Partridge on Sept. 7th, 1852; my 

 Partridge fell dead on a railway embankment, and on going to 

 pick it up I found this Jack Snipe stone-dead within a few 

 inches of it. 



16th. Two Teal dropped on to the decoy-pool. I only record 

 this because it bears out my experience that the first autumnal 

 appearance of the Peregrine in our neighbourhood is either 

 heralded, or very soon succeeded, by that of Teal. 



22nd. Two " cream-coloured" Wagtails in front of the house 

 at Lilford. — R. C. A young Corncrake was caught yesterday at 

 the decoy by a dog, uninjured, and put into the aviary. I mention 

 this because I am glad to add that this bird has survived the 

 severe winter, and is — at this time of writing (April 14th, 1892) — 

 perfectly healthy, very tame, and, as I am assured, beginning to 

 " crake." 



24th. I received an immature stuffed specimen of Buffon's 

 Skua, from Mr. J. Cox, of Overstone Rectory farm, with the 

 information that it was picked up dead there on Oct. 12th, 

 1883. 



29th. A Manx Shearwater was picked up alive at Harlestone 



