122 
THE BIRDS OF HAMPSHIRE. 
stuffed it. Mr. Kent, of Old Park, Ventnor, wrote that 
he picked up the bird early in October, 1896 : — It was 
lying in the pathway outside my door. The place is in an 
exposed situation, about 400 yards from the sea facing 
west. There had been a storm and strong winds frorri the 
west, and most probably the bird was drifted here by the 
force of the wind coming across the sea. It could not 
have been dead more than an hour or so, as it was in a 
perfect state of preservation, and an hour previous was 
not in the place where I found it. The bird was an adult 
male." 
Mr. Smith, of Newport, wrote that it was correctly 
identified, and was still in Mr. Kent's possession. 
The second Hampshire example was recorded by Mr. 
Corbin, of Ringwood, as follows, in the " Zoologist " of 
December, 1901 : — 
" On October 26th, a gentleman told me he had, whilst 
standing on one of the bridges watching some pike-fishers, 
seen a strange bird settle upon and apparently scrutinize 
a bush at no very great distance from him. His description 
was that the bird was about the size of a thrush, but 
seemed to have more the colour of a nightingale on its 
sides, and a very long tail. As the late owner of Avon 
Castle had a few years ago liberated a number of Australian 
birds of various species, I supposed this might have been 
one of the very few survivors — if, indeed, any still survive — 
although I had no reason to suspect any bird answering 
the description had obtained its freedom. 
" On October 30th, a specimen of the above-named 
cuckoo was shot about half a mile from the spot, but 
whether the same bird it is impossible to say. I saw it 
soon after it was killed^ and I may note the following 
particulars : — 
