90 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



a nest of the latter species in a hollow beech-tree in our pleasure- 

 grounds contained one egg. 



9th. Two Little Owls seen in the deer-park, Lilford (cf. Zool. 

 1891, p. 46). 



13th. About 160 head of wildfowl on the decoy-pool. Three 

 Whimbrels seen near the decoy. This is a very unusually early 

 appearance of this species in our neighbourhood. Two small 

 trips of Golden Plover were observed near the same spot as these 

 long-billed travellers. 



25th. A Tawny Owl's nest with four eggs in old elm in our 

 deer-park. From five to seven Canada Geese frequented our 

 meadows during the last fortnight of the month (cf. Zool. 

 1891, p. 45). 



30th. Young Blackbirds well feathered in a nest at Thorpe 

 Waterville. 



April. 



1st. The first Peewit's eggs of the season brought in. 



4th. Pied and Barred Woodpeckers very busy about the old 

 trees on our pleasure-ground. 



8th. A Jack Snipe hangs on at the decoy. 

 14th. Three Woodcocks seen in one of our woods. 

 17th. Many Fieldfares and some Kedwings passing to the N.E. 

 19th. A nest of Little Owls, containing four eggs, was dis- 

 covered in a hollow stump of ash on Wadenhoe Manor. 



24th. Mr. W. J. Horn informed me that on this day he 

 positively identified a grey-backed or so-called White Wagtail at 

 Kingsthorpe, near Northampton. I do not think that this race 

 of Pied Wagtail is very uncommon in our county, but this is the 

 first certain record of its occurrence therein that has come to 

 my knowledge. 



25th. A nest of Long-eared Owl containing five eggs was 

 found in a fir plantation just outside the park by one of our 

 gamekeepers. This Owl, though not uncommon in certain parts 

 of Northamptonshire, is decidedly a rare bird in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of Lilford, and this is the first nest that I ever 

 heard of on my own property. The man who found this nest 

 assured me that an Owl of some sort flew out of a tree close to 

 the nest, and that on climbing up to it he found the eggs quite 

 cold, and one of them slightly cracked. He watched the nest 



