242 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



the Hobby," says : — " Hobbies used to be common in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Oxford thirty years ago. An old man told me that 

 he used constantly to see these birds hawking for mayflies when 

 he was fishing in the upper river. One that he stuffed was shot 

 as it was flying over Witney Street." Mr. F. W. Lambert, of 

 Oxford, mentioned in the ' Oxford Times' of June 7th, J 890, that 

 a few days previously he found the decomposed body of a Hobby 

 on the edge of the Otmore country : he also writes me word 

 that he had information of Hobbies breeding at Waterperry in 

 1890, and of a bird of the year which was shot there, and brought 

 to the city for preservation. 



Kestrel. — Mr. J. Baldwin Young informs me he found a nest 

 in a hollow tree at Bletchington in the early summer of 1890. 



Merlin. — The Rev. Murray A. Mathew writes me word that 

 this species was often brought to Osman, the then Oxford bird- 

 stuffer, in his time. He has a fine male which struck at a 

 birdcatchers call-bird and was netted. Mr. Wyatt, the Banbury 

 birdstuffer, saw a blue male on the wing near the Castle Gardens, 

 Banbury, on March 3rd, 1888. 



Tawny Owl. — Mr. Bartlett, of Banbury, showed me three 

 eggs of this bird, which were taken in the last week of February, 

 1890. The bird was caught on the nest. 



Barn Owl.— " C. W. R.," writing in the 'Oxford Times/ 

 1890, mentions having climbed, on April 15th, to an old crow's nest 

 in the fork of an oak wood, in the parish of Whichwood. A Barn 

 Owl flew off the nest, which contained three young Owls and two 

 addled eggs, also six dead field mice. One of the old ones came 

 and sat on the tree close to the observer. The young appeared 

 to be about fourteen days old. 



Long-eared Owl. — Mr. W. Lambert informs me that two 

 were shot in Horton Wood about Oct. 19th, 1888. 



Pallas's Shrike. — One shot at Wardington in the last week 

 of November, 1890, came into my possession in the next month 

 (Zool. 1890, p. 28). 



Red-backed Shrike. — Mr. F. C. Aplin saw one between 

 Woodstock and Oxford on May 22nd, 1889. A pair were shot by 

 the canal opposite Bodicote in the second week of July, 1890. 

 Mr. F. W. Lambert saw a male near Horsepath as early as 

 May 1st, 1890. 



SroTTED Flycatcher. — Mr. F. W. Lambert informs me that 



