248 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



clover in this parish, a flock of fifty or sixty Sky Larks. I thought 

 they were merely collected on account of the abundance of some 

 particular food there ; but on rising they all went off together, 

 and pitched in the middle of a big field of swedes', from which 

 they rose once more altogether. This, in my experience, is a 

 most unusual occurrence in July. At the beginning of the frost 

 we had vast numbers of Sky Larks. I saw an exceptionally large 

 flock on a barley-stubble with clover on Nov. 29th. An examina- 

 tion of the crops of some I shot showed that they had not touched 

 the clover-stems or leaves, though I have heard it said that a 

 flock will " graze it off like sheep." But by the latter part of 

 December they had disappeared. They entirely left a favourite 

 farm at Bloxham, and during a long walk in Bodicote and Adder- 

 bury parishes the only Larks we saw were half-a-dozen looking 

 very much out of place on the river-bank. 



Wood Lark. — On Dec. 9th, 1890, I observed, on a stubble at 

 Wickham, a flock of about twenty short-tailed Larks, which had, 

 when on the wing, a soft cry, " lu-eee." I think they must have 

 been of this species. 



Chaffinch. — A very big flock on a stubble at Wickham, 

 on November 23rd, 1889, apparently all females. Bound a 

 rick on December 20th, 1890, females outnumbered males by 

 ten to one. 



Brambling. — Six were netted by some ricks at Bloxham on 

 Dec. 19th and 20th, 1890; they are known here as "Mountain 

 Finches." Mr. Wyatt had a few at the end of the month, and 

 Mr. Darbey, of Oxford, also had a few. 



Hawfinch. — A nest containing young was found at Sarsden 

 in June, 1890. Mr. Lambert has an egg taken near Iffley about 

 1883, and about that year saw two eggs taken from two separate 

 nests near the same place. 



Goldfinch. — Several pairs bred in and about Bloxham 

 village in the summer of 1890. 



Siskin. — I saw a little party of five in some alders by the 

 stream just below the village, on Nov. 29th, 1890. Mr. Fowler 

 saw two Siskins in Christ Church Meadows on April 30th, 1890. 

 The Earl of Winchelsea writes me word of a nest containing five 

 eggs which he found on Headington Hill in May, 1873. The 

 nest was satisfactorily identified. Lord Winchelsea has most 

 kindly presented me with one of the eggs (the remainder being in 



