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  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  peculiar 
  colour 
  of 
  their 
  irides. 
  Their 
  general 
  shape 
  

   and 
  habits 
  reminded 
  him 
  of 
  the 
  Whitethroat's. 
  With 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  

   Gould's 
  'Birds 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain,' 
  any 
  doubts 
  he 
  felt 
  about 
  their 
  

   being 
  Dartford 
  Warblers 
  were 
  set 
  completely 
  at 
  rest 
  {in 
  lit., 
  

   Oct. 
  18th, 
  1902). 
  

  

  Autumn 
  Nesting. 
  — 
  Many 
  birds 
  nested, 
  or 
  tried 
  to 
  nest, 
  this 
  

   autumn. 
  A 
  Robin's 
  nest 
  with 
  four 
  eggs 
  was 
  found 
  near 
  Banbury 
  

   in 
  November 
  (' 
  Banbury 
  Guardian 
  ')• 
  A 
  Wren 
  built 
  a 
  nest 
  in 
  an 
  

   Irish 
  yew 
  here 
  in 
  November. 
  Books 
  in 
  two 
  rookeries 
  here 
  built 
  

   nests. 
  Mr. 
  Digby 
  Pigot 
  reported 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  week 
  ending 
  

   Nov. 
  22nd 
  a 
  Thrush 
  hatched 
  out 
  young 
  ones, 
  and 
  a 
  Starling 
  and 
  

   Wren 
  had 
  eggs 
  at 
  Sarsden 
  (Bull. 
  B. 
  0. 
  Club, 
  xiii. 
  p. 
  26). 
  Star- 
  

   lings 
  were 
  about 
  my 
  buildings 
  just 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  spring, 
  but 
  

   were 
  not 
  seen 
  to 
  build. 
  I 
  used 
  to 
  see 
  Sparrows 
  carrying 
  up 
  

   feathers 
  and 
  hay 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  Mr. 
  Fowler 
  wrote 
  from 
  

   Oxford, 
  on 
  Dec. 
  3rd, 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  a 
  fresh 
  Sparrow's 
  egg 
  

   broken 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  the 
  day 
  before, 
  " 
  and 
  even 
  this 
  cold 
  

   morning 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  Sparrow 
  with 
  a 
  feather 
  in 
  its 
  bill. 
  At 
  

   Churchill 
  the 
  boys 
  have 
  lately 
  found 
  a 
  Blackbird's 
  nest 
  with 
  

   eggs 
  (one, 
  I 
  think) 
  ; 
  also 
  a 
  Starling's, 
  Robin's, 
  and 
  Wren's, 
  all 
  

   with 
  eggs." 
  

  

  The 
  autumn 
  was 
  not 
  remarkably 
  mild 
  and 
  genial, 
  and 
  I 
  can 
  

   hardly 
  account 
  for 
  so 
  many 
  birds 
  attempting 
  to 
  breed 
  at 
  this 
  

   unusual 
  season. 
  Possibly 
  the 
  cold 
  wet 
  weather 
  which 
  prevailed 
  

   during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  prevented 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  from 
  rearing 
  

   their 
  young 
  then, 
  and 
  they 
  tried 
  to 
  mend 
  matters 
  later 
  on. 
  If 
  

   so, 
  the 
  short 
  spell 
  of 
  severe 
  weather 
  early 
  in 
  December 
  put 
  an 
  

   end 
  to 
  the 
  attempt. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  ornithological 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  

   1902 
  was 
  the 
  vast 
  invasion 
  of 
  Wood-Pigeons 
  which 
  took 
  place 
  

   in 
  North 
  Oxon 
  in 
  November 
  and 
  December. 
  I 
  may 
  premise 
  

   that 
  we 
  are 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  not 
  accustomed 
  to 
  seeing 
  the 
  great 
  

   flocks 
  of 
  Pigeons 
  about 
  which 
  one 
  hears 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   country. 
  A 
  flock 
  of 
  about 
  two 
  hundred 
  we 
  see 
  sometimes, 
  and 
  

   that 
  but 
  rarely. 
  

  

  On 
  Nov. 
  25th 
  a 
  neighbour 
  told 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  about 
  two 
  

   thousand 
  on 
  his 
  clover-fields. 
  On 
  Dec. 
  2nd 
  I 
  put 
  up, 
  from 
  a 
  

  

  