70 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



information that the bird in question is called " Niglit- 

 JaiT ; " but as the very next species mentioned is the 

 " Fern-Owl, Churn-Owl, or Goat Sucker," I cannot 

 help thinking that the " Night-Jarr," and probably 

 the mention of its breeding in Northamptonshire, 

 have slipped into the wrong place. It has occurred 

 to me even that the passages may have been trans- 

 posed, and that the above quoted may refer to the 

 Fern-Owl, and the following (on the same page and 

 immediately below it), though headed " Fern-Owl, 

 Churn-Owl, or Goat Sucker," really have reference to 

 the " Greater Ash-coloured Shrike : " — " This also is 

 a Mountainous Bird frequenting the Eocky Woods 

 of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, &c. Yet was shot by 

 Mr. Eyres of Dean in our Oxenden Closes in Sep- 

 tember 1708." 



It is, however, I think, pretty clear that the Great 

 Grey Shrike had really occurred in our county to the 

 knowledge of the worthy old rector of Oxenden, who 

 w^as a keen collector of birds, of which he tells us he 

 had the skins or cases of above " one hundred sorts 

 w'hich were killed in this country " {queer e county 1). 

 Yarrell ('British Birds,' vol. i. p. 199, 4th ed.) says 

 that this bird has never been ascertained to breed in 

 this country ; and such an occurrence has most cer- 

 tainly never come to my knowledge, all the statements 

 to the contrary of which I have heard having collapsed 

 on examination. 



The Great Ash-coloiu'ed Shrike generally visits this 

 country in the winter, and its breeding in Whittle- 

 wood Forest " sometimes " is, though of course not 

 impossible, extremely improbable. I shall prove 

 fui'ther on that Morton did not confound the present 

 species with the Ked-backed Shrike, Lanius coUnrio, 



