166
THE BIRDS OF ESSEX.
trap in 1887. Mr. F. Spalding informs me that a fine female in his possession
was killed at St. Osyth in 1881, Mr. T. Aldham, of Ulting, has one shot there by
himself about ten years ago. Mr. E. Curtis, jun. writes (29. 29, 1881) : " On
January 20th, two Buzzards were seen hawking over the large reed-beds near
" the Gulf," between Barking and Rainham. A man named Sutton shot another
on the previous day.
The Rev. J. C. Atkinson writes (36. 35) :
" I well remember as a schoolboy [at Kelvedon] in Essex, some thirty odd
years ago [about 1830], that the nests of the ' Puttock,' as the Buzzard was in-
variably called in that district, were more frequently found by us than those of
any other wood-building Hawk ; and many a hatch of young ' Puttocks ' it fell
to my lot to see brought within the old school-gates."
Rough-legged Buzzard : Archibuteo lagopus.
A somewhat rare and irregular visitant chiefly during autumn and
winter.
Mr. Hope writes it is
" common on the coast, first arriving
at the end of September, but coming in
flocks in very cold weather. I once saw
twenty-five hawking rabbits over a tract
of sand-hills within three miles of Harwich,
and obtained three of them. In early
autumn they seem to come from the east,
but in winter from the north."
A pair killed many years ago at Epping
were presented by Henry Doubleday to
the British Museum, where they are still
preserved (Buxton—47. 81). Mr. Clarke
notes (24) the trapping of a fine specimen
(presumably the one now in the Museum,
presented by S. Salmon) in High Baulk's
Wood, Saffron Walden, on Mar. 1st, 1836,
and the occurrence of another near Walden
in Nov., 1843. There is also a female
from Epping presented many years ago by
Henry Doubleday. Mr. Clarke also mentions the death of one at Shortgrove on
Nov. 3rd, 1839. Mr. T. Brunton records one (23. 7844) shot by a keeper in
Hatfield Forest, on Nov. 18th, 1861. Dr. Bree records that during the winter
of 1862-63, three were killed at Oakley, two of them being a pair (29. Mar.
7, 1863). One was shot at Tillingham in or about Oct., 1876. Mr. F. Kerry
records (40. i. 25.8) a fine dark-coloured specimen shot at Harwich in Nov., 1876.
A fine female was shot by my uncle, Mr. David Christy, of Patching Hall,
on Dec. 19th, 1879, after it had for about a fortnight frequented the meadows
beside the Chelmer at Broomfield, where I myself made an unsuccessful attempt
to obtain it. It was exceedingly fat (43. i. 63). About the middle of Oct., 1882,
one was shot near Berechurch by Samuel Palmer, a gamekeeper (Chelmsford
Chronicle, Oct. 29th). One of a pair was shot near Manningtree on Dec. 1st,
1879 (29. Jan. 3) as it was flying over with a full-grown rat in its claws. It is
" frequent in autumn," in the Colchester and Paglesham districts (Laver). Mr. J. F.
T. Wiseman informs me that one was shot at the latter place about the middle of
Nov., 1888. One was shot by Mr. Arthur Fitch at Whitley, Birdbrook, about Nov.