18 INTRODUCTION. 



Rev. T. W. Falcon, Rector of Charlton-on-Otmoor ; he must 

 have been possessed of rare powers of observation^ and the 

 cessation of our correspondence in 1882, consequent upon a 

 severe illness from which he never fully recovered, was a great 

 loss to this book. It is with regret (although he was per- 

 sonally unknown to me) that I pen this tribute to the memory 

 of an Oxfordshire field ornithologist, in the place of the 

 acknowledgment of much information imparted which could 

 not have been too warmly expressed. 



Oxfordshire, in the character of its ornithology, most nearly 

 resembles the eastern side of southern England. Such 

 species as have their head-quarters in south-east Britain, but 

 are more or less uncommon in the north or west, e. g. the 

 Hobby, Nightingale, Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Tree 

 Sparrow, Nuthatch, and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, are 

 perhaps as abundant with us as in any part of the kingdom ; 

 the Red-legged Partridge is well established and, in many 

 parts of the county, numerous ; we get too the north-eastern 

 Brambling as a regular winter visitor, frequently in large 

 flocks. We are, however, situated too far inland to participate, 

 otherwise than sparingly, in the representatives of certain 

 species which in winter may at times be said to swarm on 

 the east coast, e. g. the Twite^ Snow Bunting, Hooded Crow, 

 and various waders. 



On the other hand, the south-western Girl Bunting is 

 decidedly scarce, while of some birds which are resident in, 

 or regular summer visitors to, the west and north, the Grey 

 Wagtail is with rare exceptions only a winter visitor, the 

 Dipper is almost of accidental occurrence, and the Ring 

 Ouzel, Pied Flycatcher, and Common Sandpiper are merely 

 passing visitors of more or less uncommon occurrence. 



The changes in our avifauna which have taken place within 

 the century may be briefly referred to. We have first to 

 deplore the almost total disappearance of the Kite, Buzzard, 

 Harrier, Raven, and Bittern, which at the commencement 

 of that period were either resident in some numbers or 

 frequent visitors, but are now only of more or less rare and 

 occasional occurrence. It is possible that the Snipe, Red- 



