I70 THE BIRDS OF BERKS AND BUCKS. 



Family — Merulid^E. 



Common Dipper {Cincius aqnaticns). Although 

 the Water-Ouzel, or Dipper, is a common bird in 

 Scotland and in the north and west of England, 

 it can only be considered an accidental straggler to 

 the counties of Berks and Bucks. 



Mr. Yarrell states that he heard of a Dipper being 

 killed at a water-mill tail, on the Colne, near Wrays- 

 bury (or Wyrardisbury), which is on the borders of 

 Buckinghamshire. In his * Birds of Great Britain ' 

 Mr. Gould states that he knew of one example w^hich 

 w^as obtained on the little Buckinghamshire river the 

 Chess. My friend the Rev. Harpur Crewe wrote 

 me word that he once observed a solitary Dipper on 

 the canal at Drayton Beauchamp. He saw it fly out 

 from under a bridge, and was sufficiently near to 

 determine the species with certainty. 



Golden Oriole {priohis galbida). A rare sum- 

 mer visitor. My friend Mr. R. B. Sharpe informed 

 me that a bird of this species was once observed at 

 Billing-Bear by Mr. Briggs. He was out walking one 

 day when his attention was attracted by the note 

 of a bird which he felt convinced he had never 

 heard before. Following the direction of the sound, 

 he traced it to a dense thicket of young ash-trees, 

 and after having cautiously entered, he managed, by 

 dint of crawling slowly along, to get within twenty 

 yards of the bird. On a branch just above his head 



