182 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. ix 



GREY WAGTAIL BREP]DING IN OXFORDSHIRE. 



As nesting records of the Grey Wagtail (Moiacilla c. cinerca) for 

 Oxforcl.shirc seem few and far between, it may be worth 

 recording that on May 18th, 1913, near God.stow Bridge, my 

 brothers and I saw a pair of Grey Wagtails which were 

 carrj'ing food in their Ijills and seemed very excited at our 

 approach. We Avere unable to find the ne.st, but on the 19th 

 at the same place I flushed a young one from under my feet 

 which could only just fly. J. K. Stanford. 



SCOTTISH CRESTED TITMOUSE IN EAST 

 ROSS-SHIRE. 



While observing birds in the extensive fir-woods of east 

 Ross-shire in October, 1915, I was much interested to meet 

 Avith a small number of Crested Titmice — at least four or 

 five individuals and probabty more. They formed part of 

 a large travelling-flock consisting chiefly of Goldcrests, 

 Titmice, mostly Coal and Long-tailed, with a few pairs of 

 Tree-Creepers, etc. The familiar ])uiring-note of the crested 

 species at once attracted my attention, and with the aid 

 of a glass I was able to obtain a good view of one individual 

 feeding near the top of a large Scotch fir. Many large flocks 

 of migrants were arriving on the north-east coast of Scotland 

 at that time, the 18th of October, and it therefore seemefl 

 l^robable that these Crested Titmice were Continental visitors. 

 To make certain of this point I shot one, but to my surprise 

 it proved to be a typical example of the Strathspey bird 

 {Parus cristatus scoticus). 



The occurrence of this dark race of the Crested Titmouse 

 in east Ross-shire is of considerable interest, as, with the 

 exception of a recently-recorded instance of it having been 

 found in Nairnshire, where it was probably nesting (Blackwood. 

 Scottish Nat. 1915, p. 285), there appears to be no properly 

 authenticated record of its occnri'ence outside Strathspey. 

 It is true that in the collection of eggs in the British Museum 

 there is a clutch of four eggs referred to this species and 

 said to have been taken by J. Hancock in Ross-shire. These 

 eggs once formed part of the Tristram Collection and were 

 received with the Crowley Beqiiest. It seems likely that 

 some mistake has been made by Tristram or Crowley in 

 stating the locality to have been Ross-shirc. The eggs are 

 merely labelled "P. cristatus. J. H. 59" in Tristram's 

 Avriting. The late Major W. Stirling, of Fairburn, a good 

 field-naturalist and a keen oologist, never met with the 

 Crested Titmouse in east Ross, and I uusclf. who 



