100 THE BIRDS OF OXFOEDSHIRE. 



Naturalist's Miscellany , stating" that one had been shot the 

 year before in Oxfordshire. One shot near Oxford in the 

 spring- of 1837 was in the collection of Dr. Kirtland, who 

 informed the Messrs. Matthews that another was shot in the 

 same neighbourhood in February, 1838 {Zoologist, p. 2598). 

 With reference to this occurrence the Editor of YarreU's 

 British Birds remarks in a foot-note, ' If there be no error 

 the example may have been one that had wintered in this 

 part of the world ' — the visits of the Rose-coloured Pastor to 

 England having usually taken place in summer. I have 

 seen an adult specimen in Mr. G. Arnatfs collection, which 

 was shot by his brother at Stanton Harcourt, out of a flock of 

 Starlings, 'about forty-five years ago' {in lit. 1888); and 

 another procured at Ewelme, some five-and-twenty years 

 since, is in the collection of Mr. W. Newton, jun. {in lit.) 



THE ALPINE CHOUGH. 



Pijrrhocorax alpinits. 



The Alpine Chough has occurred in Oxfordshire on one 

 occasion, namely, at Broughton, where a female was shot in 

 the Park on the 8th April, 1881. It was sent to a village 

 bird-stuffer in Bodicote, named Gunthrop, and I had an 

 opportunity of examining it in the flesh the same day, and of 

 dissecting the body after it was skinned. 



The Alpine Chough has not been procured in Great Britain 

 on any other occasion. It is an inhabitant of the larger 

 mountain ranges of Europe, and is met with in Asia in the 

 elevated portions of the Himalayas (Dresser, Birds of Europe). 

 It has been stated that its habits are not in any degree 

 migratory. At the time the Broughton example was recorded, 

 it was thought that this was an extremely unlikely species to 

 wander to our shores, and, having regard to the fact that 

 these birds have been kept in confinement in England, many 

 ornithologists were of opinion that the specimen in question 



