ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 441 



Mr. Valance Elam, of Little Tew Lodge, Enstone, flushed eight 

 Woodcocks in one cover on the 24th. 



November 2nd. — Near Heythrop, where these birds are 

 numerous about the stone-wall country, as the sun came out 

 to-day, the Common Bunting was singing gaily. 



6th. — A Sand Martin was seen at Milcomb by two friends of 

 mine who know the bird well. 



16th. — This afternoon, at 3.40 p.m., I noticed a great noise 

 and excitement proceeding from eight or ten Hedge-Sparrows 

 which were scattered about in a laburnum and some orchard 

 trees. They became silent when I went out to look at them, but 

 soon began again, answering one another with their thin tseek. 

 No cat or other vermin was to be found, and the birds were in 

 some cases some distance apart. The excitement lasted about a 

 quarter of an hour. It was near roosting-time. I have once or 

 twice since noticed a similar occurrence. 



22nd. — A very mild but dull day. A Blackbird sang for 

 some time just before sunset. The notes were rather poor, but 

 numerous. Perhaps the bird was a young one of the year, early 

 hatched, as many were last spring. In my experience the Black- 

 bird is very rarely heard to sing in autumn. 



30th. — A Water Rail shot close to the village. In two swede- 

 fields I found a good many Meadow Pipits : a late date for a 

 flock to be here. 



December 6th. — Missel Thrush singing well. 



9th. — Wind strong from the south. A flock of about two 

 hundred Ring Doves passed over at a fair height, going due 

 south, and battling with the wind. 



11th. — Song Thrushes sing very well now. 



18th. — Severe frost for the last few days. Two Jack Snipe 

 shot. 



19th. — Vast flock of Chaffinches on clover and stubble ; as 

 far as I could see they were all females. 



24th. — Another Jack-Snipe shot here. 



31st. — A Sclavonian Grebe shot at Chimney-on-Thames. It 

 is now in the Oxford Museum. In the course of correspondence 

 about this bird with Mr. Darbey, he gave me information of the 

 following Oxfordshire examples of this bird, not previously 

 recorded : — One picked up at Pink Hill (or Pinkie) Lock, near 



