AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 267 



Diver in our county that had come to my knowledge, 

 I begged my informant to send the bird to me for 

 inspection ; he did so, and I was much pleased to 

 find that his identification was perfectly correct, the 

 bu'd proving to be an immature female of the species 

 in question. The owner of this specimen, Mr. John 

 Eunson, C.E,, of Northampton, has been good 

 enough to present it to me. I fondly imagined 

 that my bird was unique as a " county specimen," 

 but I am assured by my very obliging correspondent, 

 Mr. W. Tomalin, that a Great Northern Diver was 

 killed at Kingsthorpe by a Mr. Richard Dunkley, 

 after a severe storm, to the best of my informant's 

 recollection in November 1855. I have also received 

 information of the occurrence of a bird of this species 

 on a pond at Kimbolton in March 1888. Morton* 

 mentions the occurrence of a bird near Kibworth, in 

 Leicestershire, that I somewhat doubtfully imagine 

 to have belonged to this species ; the whole passage 

 is so quaint that I make no excuse for quoting it at 

 full length : — " The Greatest Speckled Douker or 

 Loon, Mergus maximus Farrensis, sive Arcticus 

 Clusii. Mr. Willughby never saw above Five of 

 them : and only Two of these appear to have been 

 found in England. To which I may add a Third 

 that was found nigh Kibworth in Leicestershire, in 

 Winter when the ground was cover'd with Snow. 

 Being almost famish'd it struck boldly with its 

 pointed Bill at a Gentleman's Horse upon the 

 Leicester Road who kill'd it with his Cane. In 

 it Stomach were found nothing but stones. The 

 Bird being now in my Possession, I take the Freedom 



* Fat. History of Northamptonshire, p. 430. 



