44 TEE ZOOLOGIST. 



Pigeon at the hut, but she had a full crop, and was not in 

 earnest. — E. C. 



12th. Under this date I find, in Mr. Slater's notes above 

 mentioned : — " A male Picus major, shot lately near Irchester, 

 and brought to me, had recently eaten several grubs of the goat- 

 moth, of which there were three whole ones, and various scraps, 

 in the gizzard of the bird." An immature female Tufted Duck 

 shot near Lilford, and forwarded to me in the flesh. 



19th. I took a male Pintail on the decoy this morning. — R. S. 

 This bird was pinioned and placed on the park-pond. 



23rd. I heard to-day that seventeen Woodcocks were killed 

 one day last week in the Duke of Buccleuch's coverts at Boughton, 

 near Kettering: this is now-a-days an exceptionally large bag of 

 Woodcocks for North Northamptonshire. 



26th. A solitary male Pochard on the decoy. — R. S. 



January, 1890. 



1st. A Bittern was shot in Blatherwycke Park this morning; 

 the occurrence communicated to me by Mr. Horace S. O'Brien. 



3rd. My son shot a very good specimen of adult female Smew 

 on the Nene, below Lilford, this morning, and forwarded the bird 

 to me at once. It is long since I have heard of a Smew in 

 the neighbourhood of Lilford ; but a good many seem to have 

 visited the eastern coasts of England during this winter, and 

 I purchased seven of this species alive in Leadenhall Market ; 

 these birds were probably brought over from Holland, but I do 

 not remember to have had more than one or two previous offers 

 of living Smews from the London markets. 



30th. Two Swans seen on wing near the decoy.— R. S. 



February. 



1st. First egg of hand-reared Wild Duck found at Lil- 

 ford.— R. C. 



3rd. Under this date, Mr. Slater writes: — "A Waxwing on 

 the large hawthorn -bushes near Ditchford Bridge. Mrs. Slater, 

 whom I was driving to Irthlingborough, called my attention to a 

 'particularly beautiful' bird, and there was the Waxwing, sitting 

 on a bush not twenty yards off; it made off when we stopped, so 

 I got out and followed, and had another good look at it; it was 

 a female, or a young bird, and appeared to be alone." 



