81 TRE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



27. GOLDEN ORIOLE. 



Oriolus galliula. 



This fine species can hardly be considered very 

 rare in Great Britain, as scarcely a year passes in 

 which several, and in some instances a good many, 

 are not ruthlessly shot down on their arrival, generally 

 at the period of the vernal migration. Yarrell gives 

 the particulars of several nests met with in England, 

 and others are on record, so that there is little doubt 

 but that, if permitted, the Oriole would become as 

 common with us as it is in many parts of Holland, 

 Belgium, Germany, and France. I am glad to say 

 that I have no record of a bird of this species having 

 met its death in our county, but it has been seen on 

 several occasions. The earliest notice I have is in a 

 list of birds observed at and about Milton, kindly 

 sent by Lady Mary Thompson, who tells me that 

 about the end of May or early in June 1836 she saw 

 one of these birds in the garden at Milton, evidently, 

 from the description given, a male in full plumage. 

 Lady Mary tells me also that, on speaking on the sub- 

 ject to a Mr. Henderson, then gardener at Milton, who 

 was a good observer and a collector of birds, he told 

 her that he had seen the bird several times, and made 

 several unsuccessful attempts to secure it alive or 

 dead. I was informed by the late Mr. D. Watts 

 Russell that a pair of Golden Orioles had haunted a 

 large wood belonging to him near Benefield through- 

 out one summer, and were supposed to have a nest 

 there, which, however, was not found. I regret that 

 I have not the date of this occurrence, but my 

 impression is that it was between 1860 and 1865. In 



