﻿ORNITHOLOGY 
  OF 
  OXFORDSHIRE. 
  371 
  

  

  barley-stubble 
  with 
  clover 
  on 
  the 
  Grove, 
  a 
  flock 
  which 
  I 
  esti- 
  

   mated 
  to 
  contain 
  from 
  one 
  thousand 
  to 
  fifteen 
  hundred, 
  which 
  

   went 
  off, 
  about 
  3.30 
  p.m., 
  in 
  a 
  long 
  "stringing" 
  flock 
  towards 
  

   the 
  Aynhoe 
  Woods 
  ; 
  another 
  flock, 
  quite 
  as 
  large, 
  passed 
  a 
  little 
  

   later, 
  heading 
  towards 
  the 
  wooded 
  high 
  ground 
  at 
  North 
  Aston. 
  

   The 
  next 
  day 
  I 
  heard 
  of 
  vast 
  tlocks 
  on 
  the 
  Barford 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   parish, 
  and 
  at 
  Heythrop, 
  and 
  the 
  Northamptonshire 
  borders 
  ; 
  

   and 
  during 
  the 
  next 
  ten 
  days 
  I 
  heard 
  of 
  their 
  remarkable 
  abun- 
  

   dance 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  district. 
  

  

  By 
  the 
  10th 
  they 
  seemed, 
  if 
  anything, 
  to 
  have 
  increased, 
  

   although 
  during 
  their 
  stay 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  subjected 
  to 
  an 
  almost 
  

   constant 
  fusillade, 
  and 
  hundreds 
  were 
  killed. 
  To-day 
  I 
  saw, 
  in 
  

   a 
  large 
  barley-stubble, 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  thousand 
  at 
  least. 
  When 
  they 
  

   rose 
  they 
  filled 
  the 
  sky 
  ; 
  some 
  Rooks 
  rose 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  often 
  one 
  has 
  a 
  chance 
  of 
  seeing 
  so 
  many 
  birds 
  of 
  any 
  

   kind 
  at 
  one 
  time. 
  Certainly 
  I 
  never 
  before 
  saw 
  so 
  many 
  land- 
  

   birds 
  at 
  once. 
  On 
  an 
  adjoining 
  farm 
  twelve 
  were 
  killed 
  (and 
  

   picked 
  up) 
  at 
  one 
  shot 
  to-day. 
  They 
  disappeared 
  rather 
  sud- 
  

   denly 
  by 
  the 
  loth. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  cold 
  week 
  (4th 
  to 
  11th) 
  the 
  Banbury 
  poulterers' 
  

   shops 
  were 
  full 
  of 
  Pigeons. 
  One 
  man 
  on 
  the 
  11th 
  had 
  one 
  

   hundred 
  and 
  eighty 
  lying 
  in 
  a 
  heap. 
  

  

  The 
  best 
  bag 
  I 
  heard 
  of 
  being 
  made 
  by 
  one 
  man 
  was 
  near 
  

   Shenington, 
  viz. 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  six 
  birds 
  in 
  two 
  days. 
  They 
  

   sold 
  for 
  fivepence 
  each 
  (and 
  were 
  retailed 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  at 
  eight- 
  

   pence), 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  slump 
  they 
  came 
  down 
  to 
  twopence 
  each, 
  

   and 
  they 
  were 
  retailed 
  as 
  low 
  as 
  sixpence. 
  At 
  this 
  price 
  they 
  

   were 
  very 
  cheap, 
  for 
  I 
  had 
  never 
  before 
  eaten 
  Pigeons 
  in 
  such 
  

   good 
  condition. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  birds 
  I 
  examined 
  had 
  been 
  feeding 
  on 
  barley, 
  with 
  

   a 
  very 
  few 
  clover-leaves 
  in 
  some 
  cases. 
  This 
  good 
  living 
  made 
  

   them 
  very 
  fat, 
  with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  fat 
  under 
  their 
  skins. 
  They 
  were 
  

   not 
  very 
  large 
  birds 
  ; 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  six 
  weighed 
  1\ 
  lb. 
  The 
  

   heaviest 
  I 
  weighed 
  was 
  22 
  oz. 
  

  

  Where 
  they 
  came 
  from 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  Why 
  they 
  came 
  is 
  a 
  

   matter 
  of 
  conjecture. 
  It 
  was 
  said 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  acorns 
  

   and 
  no 
  beech-masfc 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  where 
  great 
  

   flocks 
  of 
  Pigeons 
  usually 
  feed. 
  Hence 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  emigra- 
  

   tion. 
  But 
  why 
  they 
  stayed 
  with 
  us 
  was 
  very 
  clear. 
  The 
  harvest 
  

  

  