BIRDS 



it arrives in April and returns in October, 

 but a few individuals remain much later, as I 

 have met with them the second week in 

 November, and one has been recorded as late 

 as January 30 (Saunders, Man. Brit. Birds, 

 p. 529, ed. 2). Mr. Wallis tells me young 

 were found lying between the egg-shells in 

 June, 1890, near Aid worth, and Mr. Proger 

 says they [breed regularly on a farm near 

 Moulsford. Mr. Cornish writes that they seem 

 to be increasing in his district, and at Catmore 

 on September i, 1901, he counted twelve on 

 the wing at once ; he adds that a pair seem 

 to breed in most localities suited to their 

 habits. 



1 66. Dotterel. Eudromias morinellus (Linn.). 

 A spring and autumn migrant, passing 



through our county to and from their northern 

 breeding grounds. Although not so numerous 

 as formerly, a ' trip ' may often be seen on 

 the Chiltern range of hills in April or May 

 and again in September. Mr. Newton tells 

 me that they are to be seen near Wallingford, 

 in little lots of four or five, the second or 

 third week in May, and that they return in 

 trips of fifteen to thirty during the second or 

 third week in August ; he adds, ' they have 

 not been so regular of late years.' Mr. 

 Cornish has often noticed them at Childrey 

 in September, and it would seem that the line 

 of migration runs from Wilts to Oxon, 

 through the vale of the White Horse, Want- 

 age and Wallingford. 



167. Ringed Plover. /Egia/itis hiaticula 



(Linn.). 



An occasional visitor, and, according to 

 Clark Kennedy, must have been of more 

 frequent occurrence in the ' sixties ' than now. 

 It has been observed near Reading, Wantage 

 and Maidenhead. One was shot on Ilsley 

 Downs April, 1810. It is said to be seen on 

 the river nearly every spring at Radley (Fauna 

 and Flora of Radley, p. 12). 



[Little Ringed Plover. jEgialitis curonica 

 (J. F. Gmelin). 



Dr. Palmer mentions a specimen seen in 

 the local bird-stuffer's shop by Mr. Herbert 

 which was said to have been shot in the 

 neighbourhood (' Birds of Newbury and Dis- 

 trict '). The above probably refers to the smaller 

 race of /E. hiaticula which has been specifically 

 separated under the name of /E. intermedium : 

 the real . curonica is of extremely rare oc- 

 currence in this country.] 



1 68. Golden Plover. Charadrius pluvialis, 



Linn. 



This bird is a regular winter visitor, and 



the arrival of small flocks may be looked for 

 in November. These are curiously constant 

 to a particular spot and may be found fre- 

 quenting the same field year after year. One 

 of their great strongholds would seem to be 

 the fields between Newbury and Thatcham, 

 where Dr. Palmer says he has often seen 

 flocks of considerable dimensions. 



169. Lapwing. Vanellus vulgaris, Bechstein. 



Locally, Peevit, Green Plover. 

 Common and resident, though its numbers 

 are greatly augmented in spring and autumn, 

 and large flocks may often be seen at these 

 seasons of the year out of all proportion to 

 the breeding residents. 



170. Oyster-catcher. 

 Linn. 



Htematopus ostralegus, 



A very rare visitor. Dr. Lamb mentions 

 one shot at Burghfield in January, 1794; 

 while Clark Kennedy states that one was 

 shot 'a few years since near Windsor,' i.e. 

 about 1863 ; and another was observed near 

 Reading (Birds of Berks and Bucks, p. 185), 

 but particulars are wanting. Mr. Newton 

 informs me that he once saw this bird on the 

 Thames near Wallingford. One was taken at 

 Streatley at the end of 1882 or beginning of 

 1883 and preserved by Mr. Hambling of 

 Reading. 



171. Avocet. Recurvirostra avocetta, Linn. 

 Six of these beautiful birds were killed at 



one shot while swimming on a pond at Son- 

 ning near Reading, in April, 1794 (' Ornith. 

 Bercheria '). 



172. Black-winged Stilt. Himantopus candi- 



dus, Bonnaterre. 



In their list of birds of Oxfordshire and its 

 neighbourhood published in the Zoologist, 

 1849 (pp. 2592, 2603), Messrs. A. and H. 

 Matthews mention a stilt killed at ' Shipley ' 

 near Henley. It was for some time in the 

 possession of Mr. Kirtland, who obtained it 

 soon after its capture, and it passed into the 

 collection of the Rev. H. Roundell. ' Ship- 

 ley,' or Shiplake, is in Oxon, but inasmuch as 

 the river here divides the two counties, and 

 the bird was probably taken on the banks, I 

 have claimed a share for our county. 



173. Grey Phalarope. Phalaropus fulicarius 



(Linn.). 



This northern species is a not very rare 

 visitor. Dr. Lamb mentions one shot at 

 Shinfield, March, 1794 (' Ornith. Bercheria'). 

 Wooley mentions one killed on the Thames 

 at Windsor in December, 1851 (Birds of 

 Berks and Bucks, p. 197). Out of the me- 



161 



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