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A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 111. Osprey. Pandion haliattus {h'mn.). A rare occasional visitor, in autumn chiefly. Feeds entirely on fish. Three or four have been shot in Northants, and more seen {Li/- ford, i. 7-9). 112. Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carho{Jr !). An occasional visitor, usually in winter, much rarer than the following species, and like it only found near water as a rule. Seven specimens have been obtained in our county [Lilford). I have seen one or two more. 113. Shag or Green Cormorant. Phalacro- corax gracului (Linn.). Commoner than the last, but appearing under similar conditions. 1 1 4. Gannet or Solan Goose. Sula hassana (Linn.). A rare occasional visitor after storms at sea, and usually in winter. Several occurrences noted in Lilford (ii. 217-223). 115. Heron. Ardea cinerea, Linn. Common resident, there being two con- siderable heronries at Althorp and Milton, whence the county is supplied. A harmless and picturesque bird, which should never be interfered with, except perhaps on trout streams. 116. Night-Heron. Nycticorax griseus (L'mn.). A rare occasional visitor, found by water. Lord Lilford shot the only specimen obtained hitherto in our county, and in his book, so often referred to by me, takes blame to him- self for killing so rare a bird. But his Lord- ship was then making a collection of birds obtained in the county for the public benefit, and was anxious to add to it an example of a bird unrepresented in the collection, and un- verified as occurring in the county. He pro- tected carefully the next individual he met with. 117. Little Bittern. Ardetta minuta {Lmn.). Now a rare occasional visitor to Britain, but there is little doubt that it used to breed in the broads district. The only record for Northamptonshire is one by Baker (1830), admitted by Lord Lilford. 1 1 8. Bittern. Botaurus stellarls (Linn.). Once common in Northants, as it bred in Whittlesea Mere, or at all events was common there. Now an uncommon occasional visitor, usually butchered when met with. Many examples have been obtained, as the bird usually lies close. 119. White Stork. Ciconia alba, 'Bcchsttm. A rare occasional visitor. A small flock was seen near Courtcenhall, apparently in the summer of 1875, by Sir Herewald Wake and Mr. W. Tomalin. 120. Grey Lag-Goose. Anser cinereus, Meyer. Lord Lilford (ii. 140, 141) thinks that this species has occurred in Northants, as no doubt it has in early days when it used to breed in the fens. No specimen is on hand to authen- ticate it. 121. White-fronted Goose. Anser alhifrons (Scopoli). The white ring round the beak and the conspicuous black blotches on the breast {N.B. — The last and following species have both these marks at times, but much less developed) make records of this bird more frequent with us, though I have known pink-footed geese that have had these marks called ' white-fronted.' Lord Lilford records seven occurrences. 122. Bean-Goose. Anser segetum (Gmelin). A scarce autumn and winter visitor, of irregular appearance, being very often im- perfectly distinguished from the next species. Used to visit Northants in much greater num- bers than it does now, but the multiplication of guns and gunners in recent years is enough to account for this. Several specimens have been obtained by Lord Lilford, and a lot of nine that I examined at close range near Irchester on December 24th, 1890, were certainly of this species. 123. Pink-footed Goose. Anser hrachyrhyn- chus, Baillon. Probably this species is much the com- monest in Britain, but the geese are so im- perfectly distinguished, as a rule, that it is difficult to sift evidence. This bird has been satisfactorily identified by Lord Lilford on two occasions. I personally have had no chance of handling wild geese shot in the county. 124. Barnacle-Goose. Bernicia kucopsis {Bech- stein). Mr. George Hunt, whom I knew as a careful and accurate observer, once saw six of these birds near Achurch, but it is not on record as having been shot with us. 125. Brent Goose. Bcrnkla brenta (Pallas). One doubtful record in Lilford (ii. 149) of its occurrence at Biggin. 122