ornithology of northamptonshire*. 61 



November. 



3rd. The decoy-man brought in twelve Mallards, taken this 

 morning, and told me that he had left fifty-five of this species, 

 eight Teal, and four Wigeon on the pool. The meadows are 

 perfectly dry, hard, and very bare, and there is not a Snipe to be 

 found in the neighbourhood. 



10th. A solitary Swallow flying around the house. 



22nd. Keceived a letter from a resident of Woodford, near 

 Thrapston, telling that he had caught a strange bird, that he 

 believed it to be a " Sea Egal," and wished to know if it had 

 escaped from us. In response to a telegram from me the writer 

 brought his bird here in the afternoon : it is an immature Common 

 Gull, in good condition. 



26th. An adult Kittiwake, miserably thin and weak, was 

 picked up yesterday in the rectory garden at Tichmarsh, and 

 brought to me this afternoon. This bird recovered, and throve 

 upon earth-worms for some weeks, but as soon as the supply of 

 this food failed, on account of the severe frost, the gull refused 

 to feed at all, and of course died of starvation. It is certainly 

 remarkable that such an especially maritime bird as the Kittiwake 

 should utterly decline to eat both salt- and fresh-water fishes and 

 raw meat. 



28th. A small lot of Snipes has come in; the first "Jack" 

 of this season was shot to-day, with six Common Snipes and 

 three Teal. Five Goldeneyes on the decoy. 



December. 



6th. A Water Rail was caught by the decoy-dog ; this is only 

 the second occurrence of this by no means locally rare bird here- 

 abouts that has come to my knowledge this season. A large 

 flock of Siskins on the alders near Pilton bridges. 



10th. Three Geese — which, from the account given to me, 

 must, I think, be Anser albifrons — seen near Aldwincle. 



12th. The decoy-man reports a solitary " Grey Goose" as 

 haunting the meadows in the neighbourhood of the decoy. 



16th. A fairly good male Tufted Duck shot on the river near 

 Tichmarsh. 



21st. We have been, and still are, feeding many birds on 

 the garden-terrace during this terrible spell of frost and snow. 



