258 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



drop, "about forty years ago," and that the specimen 

 was, at the time of writing, stuffed, and in the 

 possession of my correspondent. In a letter dated 

 February 5, 1890, Mr. E.okeby, referred to this 

 occurrence, and informed me that the specimen was 

 still at Arthingworth, and he was good enough to 

 send it to me, at my request, for identification ; I 

 found that the moth-eaten remains, in an old cigar- 

 box, were those of a veritable Storm-Petrel. As this 

 was the only Northamptonshire specimen that I had 

 seen, I asked Mr. Rokeby to allow me to send it to 

 the best restorer of dilapidated birds with whom I 

 was acquainted — Mr. J. Cullingford, of the University 

 Museum, Durham, who sent it back to me most 

 marvellously renovated, in fact, as good a specimen 

 as a bird that has lost about half its feathers and 

 the greater part of its feet possibly could be ; at 

 all events it is good for another 100 years if kept 

 dry and out of a strong light, as I trust that it 

 may be at Arthingworth. The next most probably 

 correct record was communicated to me by Lord 

 Knightley, who, writing in February 1876, informed 

 me that a " Stormy Petrel was found dead near 

 Fawsley more than six years ago." This little 

 sea-rover may be seen at all times of the year in 

 British waters, in the Bay of Biscay, and off the 

 coast of Portugal, as well as throughout the Medi- 

 terranean. Although perfectly at home amongst the 

 wildest broken " rollers " driven by an Atlantic gale, 

 the old ideas that the Storm-Petrel is the herald of 

 a gale, or only to be seen at sea during rough, 

 weather, are entirely fallacious, as I have seen many 

 of them skimming around our vessel as she lay 

 becalmed, and once observed a small company in 

 still, wet weather in a perfectly land-locked Spanish 



