HOBBY — MERLIN. 27 



Messrs. Matthews mention that they have several times suc- 

 ceeded in keeping- them through the winter in the open air. 

 The young hird in my possession, however, after surviving 

 the severe winters of 1879-80 and 1880-81 in an outdoor 

 aviary, died in the following spring", its constitution being- 

 probably weakened by the cold. 



THE MERLIN". 



Falco cesalon. 



The Merlin is a rather scarce winter visitor. The following 

 occurrences within the last few years may be enumerated. 

 In December, 1882, an adult male was picked up dead 

 between Banbury and Bloxham, having struck against the 

 telegraph wires. Another fine adult male was shot at 

 Wolvercot on the i6th of the same mouth (H. A. Maepherson), 

 and two in immature plumage were procured at Shotover 

 in the same month in 1883 : at Oxford a male was procured 

 in January, 1886 (A. H. Maepherson). A Merlin in Mr. G. 

 Arnatt^s collection was shot at Stanton Harcourt in 1881 on 

 the 1 6th April, which is an unusually late date in spring for 

 it to occur here. Mr. Arnatt has also other local specimens 

 in immature dress, and tells me that some individuals visit 

 them in most winters. A Merlin was seen in the neighbour- 

 hood of Little Tew in the winter of 1883 (W. W. Fowler), 

 and I have seen individuals of this species at Bloxham Grove 

 and Great Bourton : a male in the blue dress of the adult was 

 seen close to Banbury on the 3rd March, 1888. A few other 

 local specimens, of which I have been \mable to obtain 

 precise information, have come under my notice. The Messrs. 

 Matthews, at the date of whose observations the visits of the 

 Merlin were more frequent, give the date of its arrival as 

 from the fourth week in October to the third in November, 

 but the Bev. H. A. Maepherson has seen a male which was 

 netted at Shotover in September. 



