ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 223 



Swifts remained rather late. Many were screaming loudly on 

 the 23rd, and a great gathering of them was seen by my brother 

 over his garden at Bodicote. That and the next day were cold ; 

 but the Swifts were in full force on the evening of the 20th, and 

 I saw a few on the 27th and 28th. The summer, on the whole, 

 was wet and ungenial. 



10th. Mr. Fowler saw an immature Ring Ouzel in a moun- 

 tain-ash tree in his garden at Kingham. 



22nd. Early this morning a shepherd saw two grey Wild 

 Geese, with some Swans and cygnets, on the Sorbrook below 

 Broughton ; they flew away on his approach. 



September. 



6th. Examined, at Mr. Wyatt's shop, a very small Golden 

 Plover in the flesh, which had been shot in a ploughed field at 

 Wroxton. Axillaries white, marked, on some of them, at the tips, 

 with light dusky brown. This is a most unusual date for this 

 bird to visit Oxfordshire. 



9th. Being at Deddington about 8 p.m., I heard Whimbrel 

 passing over, high up. 



21st. A little flock of twenty or thirty Meadow Pipits passing 

 over, going south, at no great height, about 5.15 p.m. 20th. A 

 flock of about one hundred at 5 p.m. were going S.S.E. This line 

 of flight would take them into the Cherwell Valley, down which 

 they very likely proceed. I know the flocks get into the valley, 

 but a little later in the year than this. At this season the birds 

 seem to move from the turnip-fields at evening and fly onwards ; 

 probably they fly all night, and pitch in another turnip -field at 

 dawn. Meanwhile their place has been taken by others. 



28th. In the afternoon (dull with a light N. wind) I distinctly 

 heard the short clear whistle of a Buff or Beeve, "fii-whit" (there 

 is hardly any break between the syllables) from a bird passing 

 over close to this village. 



30th. A fully moulted Pied Wagtail, which passed this sunny 

 morning on the house-roof, sang very prettily at intervals. I had 

 never heard this bird sing in autumn before. 



October. 

 13th. Grey Wagtail appeared here; Mr. Fowler saw them at 

 Kingham the day before. 



