A HISTORY OF KENT the same place a male was shot on 1 1 Decem- ber 1894, and on the following day a female was taken near Ramsgate. Lastly, in 1897, a male bird was killed in Penshurst Park. N.B. — The Golden Eagle has never been identified in the county ; birds recorded under this name having proved to be immature examples of the white-tailed eagle. 125. Goshawk. A stur pa lumbar ius {L n.) This is another rare visitor to the county. I have only two records. An adult female was killed at Tredville Park near Wingham in the time of the late owner, Mr. Plumtre. It is still in the house, and in good preserva- tion. The other record of its appearance dates back as far as May, 1 844, at Swingfield near Dover. 126. Sparrow-Hawk. A ccipher nhus {L n.) This hawk is getting scarce, breeding now sparingly in the Weald. The thick portions of the Bedgebury and Hemsted woods near Cranbrook often defy the keepers' search, and consequently not a few broods, reared in these localities, escape at least premature destruc- tion. During the winter the old nest is resorted to as a roosting place, and in this way the birds often fall victims to the trap placed on the nest by the keepers. In the autumn the majority of the individuals bred in the thick woods leave and frequent the less enclosed portions of the county. 127. Kite. Milvus ictinus, Savigny. Very rare. At the beginning of the eighteenth century this magnificent bird was common, but owing to cultivation, the in- crease of game preservation and the greed of collectors, it is no longer met with in the county. In the Plomley collection, Dover Museum, there are two specimens, obtained many years ago near Lydd. Mr. Meade-Waldo informs me that in September 1877 he observed a kite on three occasions near Edenbridge. In 1889 an adult male was killed near Stour- mouth, and is the property of Mr. J. C. Kay of Godmersham (Dowker). 128. Honey-Buzzard. Pernis apivorus (Linn.) An occasional visitor on migration, gener- ally in August and September, when stragglers find their way to our wooded districts. 129. Peregrine Falcon. Fa/co peregrinus, Tunstall. This falcon still breeds in the inaccessible portions of the Dover cliffs, and Mr. Gray, of the Dover Museum, informed me that no fewer than three pairs nested in 1899 in the district. One nest was, unfortunately, thrown down by a partial landslip. The eggs, though much damaged, have been preserved and are now in the museum. This falcon is observed from time to time in the vicinity of our estuaries and the shore line. The writer has seen this species on the Lydd beach, pursuing and dogging the large flocks of starlings that congregate there in October during the migration period. 130. Hobby. Falco sutbuteo, Linn. An occasional summer visitor to Kent. I have no record of its breeding with us. In June 1864 a male hobby was shot in a cherry orchard near Sittingbourne, and the female was seen (Prentis). I have an adult male in my collection, obtained at Eastwell in May, 1894. 131. Merlin. Fa/co asahn, TunstaW. Uncommon ; met with in the county during the autumn and winter months. This falcon is more often observed on our marshes, where it preys upon waders and starlings. 132. Red-footed Falcon. Fa/co vespertinus, Linn. Very rare. There is only one occurrence for Kent. In the early summer of 1862 an adult female was taken at Sandling Park near Hythe (Hammond, Zoo/. 1862, p. 8192). This falcon is sometimes named the orange- legged hobby. 133. Kestrel. Fa/co timmncu/uSy Linn. This is our common hawk, but of late years its numbers have been sadly reduced owing to its persecution by gamekeepers. In the autumn a certain number leave us. They may fre- quently be observed on the Lydd beach at the end of September prior to crossing the Channel. This bird sometimes selects curious sites for its nest. In 1876, at Bromley, Kent, a nest was taken in a hollow tree containing six eggs — an unusual number {Fie/d, 3 June 1^7 6). From Edenbridge Mr. Meade- Waldo writes : ' With me, many nest in hollow trees, and annually in the boxes placed to ac- commodate owls.' 134. Lesser Kestrel. Fa/co cenc/n-h, 1>i3.xrmnn. Only one example of this extremely rare kestrel has been obtained in the county. In May 1877 an adult female was taken alive near Dover and kept for some time in con- finement (Gordon, Zoo/. 1877, p. 298); the specimen is now in the Dover Museum. 135. Osprey. Pandion hia/taetus (Linn.) A rare visitor to Kent. It has been
