Page:VCH Northamptonshire 1.djvu/158

 A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 145. Smew. Mergus albellui, Linn. A rare winter visitor, several times seen, but only once shot as yet in our county. 146. Wood-Pigeon or Ring-Dove. Columba palumbui, Linn. A common resident, very numerous in winter owing to immigration from abroad. Breeds in April, and rears three or four broods in the season. 147. Stock-Dove. Columba cenas, Linn. This bird, which is commonly but incor- rectly spoken of as the ' rock-dove,' is a common summer resident, less common in winter. Builds in holes in trees or buildings, ivy, or rabbit-burrows, raising two or three broods in the season. I have had young stock-doves hatched in my garden at Thorn- haugh on April ist, and have known them leave the nest as late as November 29th (1898). 148. Turtle-Dove. Turtur communis, Selby. A common summer visitor, reaching us about May-day, breeding in hawthorn and similar bushes, and leaving about the middle of September. Very tiresome to crops of the leguminous kind, especially tares. 149. Pallas's Sand-Grouse. Syrrhaptes para- doxui (Pallas). A north-eastern Asiatic wanderer, occa- sionally visiting Britain in numbers, as in 1863 and 1888. A good many were shot in Northants in the latter year, after which (in spite of the Act of Parliament hastily passed to induce them to stay) they all ungratefully vanished again. 150. Black Grouse. Tetrao tetrlx, Linn. A very rare occasional visitor, possibly from Sandringham, possibly from Sherwood Forest. Lord Lilford records an occurrence at Cran- ford in 1849. Another was shot near Oak- ham, outside our boundaries, in 1896 {North- ants Nat. Hist. Soc. Journ., ix. 166). Last year I saw one (a female, like the two already mentioned), on the rough ground behind Wal- cot, on my way home from Barnack. It lit on a stone wall, where I was able to stalk it to within 100 yards, and it is a species with which I am familiar from boyhood. 151. Red Grouse. Lagopus scoticus (Latham). A cock grouse was shot in November, 1892, near Warkworth (Northamptonshire). I have long been familiar with the regular migrations of the grouse in the north of England, and the distances to which severe weather will impel them, but this occurrence is another thing altogether ; it is permissible, however, to mention that freshly-caught grouse (netted, by persons whom I must not call poachers, on the edges of other peoples' moors) are a regular article of trade nowadays. 152. Pheasant. Phasianus co/chicus, Linn. This species has now been so universally crossed with the Chinese P. torquatus and the Japanese P. versicolor^ that it is in fact a mongrel. 153. Partridge. Perdix cinerea, LMh:.m. A common resident, breeding on the ground, laying about the end of April, and only rais- ing one brood. 154. Red-legged or French Partridge. Cac- cahis rufa (Linn.). Introduced in Suffolk about 1770, the Frenchman made its appearance in Northants shortly after the year 1840. It is now plenti- ful, breeding usually on the ground, and lay- ing in the end of April. It is quite erroneous to suppose that this bird drives away the common partridge ; I have known a nest of either species within a foot of one another, and the two hens sat harmoniously, and both hatched out. 155. Quail. Coturnix communis, ^onn2^.Qtxt. An irregular summer visitor, perhaps not so common as it used to be — which is not surprising, considering what an enormous number of quails are netted abroad on the spring migration. Lord Lilford mentions a good many occurrences (i. 311), and since the publication of his work I saw a quail near here (Thornhaugh) dusting itself by the road- side on July 14th, 1896, and nearly a month later some of its eggs were brought to me which had been mowed out in a clover field. 156. Land-Rail or Corn-Crake. Crex pra- tcnsis, Bechstein. A common summer visitor. 157. Spotted Crake. Porzana maruetta (Leach). Used to breed (like the last species) in some abundance at VVhittlesea Mere, before its drainage ; still occurs not uncommonly, and chiefly in autumn. It frequents reed-beds with us, but is also a persistent skulker. I have two county examples. 158. Water-Rail. Ra/lus aguaticus, L> n. A not uncommon resident, though seldom seen from its skulking habits. No doubt breeds in small numbers with us, though no eggs are extant ; an undoubtedly local egg of this species in the Peterboro' Museum is not unlikely to have been taken in the county. [24