THE NATURALISTS OF LAKELAND XXXV 



hips and several hard seeds. A fourth example, a male bird, 

 was shot about the same time still nearer to the town, about 

 Gillingrove : this also belongs to our museum. And a fifth was 

 taken alive in Novr. 1841, near Newby-bridge. When caught 

 the bird appeared to be much exhausted. On being put into a 

 cage it ate (sic) a few haws of the evergreen thorn, rejecting the 

 seeds ; but this stranger died during the night.' It is hardly 

 necessary to quote Dr. Cough's description of the habits of the 

 Blackcap or the Kock Pipit, because, though prettily conceived, 

 they do not supply any facts that are absolutely new to us. 

 With regard to his experience of the birds of prey the case is 

 different. These species are fast perishing from Lakeland, if 

 not already extinct, and Dr. Gough's local experience is there- 

 fore of permanent value. 



Of the Merlin, Gough says : ' At one time writers supposed 

 this species to be migratory, visiting Britain in October, remain- 

 ing the winter. . . . Later researches have, however, proved 

 that it is only partially migratory, some few pairs remaining 

 with us during the breeding season, especially in the northern 

 counties of England. Such is its habit in this district. I have 

 had the young in confinement, taken from a nest placed among 

 heath and rushes by the side of a watercourse on Hay-fell.' 



Dr. Gough had a somewhat limited acquaintance with the 

 Peregrine : ' Three instances have occurred to me of this bird 

 having been captured in this neighbourhood, the specimen 

 before me being one of them ; all were killed on Whitbarrow. 

 When botanising once, on the side of Goatscar in Longsleddle 

 ■with my late friend Mr. Haslam, we observed a large bird of 

 prey advancing on wing towards us. At a distance, the under- 

 pays appeared to be white • but the bird flying over us at a height 

 of about sixty feet, soon enabled us to recognise distinctly the 

 black bars across the feathers of the abdomen.' 



Strange to say, although Dr. Gough was born early in our 

 century he seems to have known little of the Harriers : ' The 

 Common Harrier is not, as far as my researches go, an inhabi- 

 tant of Our neighbourhood, though specimens of Hawks have 

 frequently been sent to me as this species ; but they invariably 

 turned out to be nothing more than female Sparrow Hawks. 



