BIRDS OF OXFORDSHIRE. 249 



his collection), as he thought a memento of it should remain in 

 the county in which the nest was found. 



Lesser Kedpoll. — In Oxon seems to be confined, in the 

 breeding season, to the Oxford Parks and immediate neighbour- 

 hood. I can only account for this by the fact that numbers of 

 birches (favourite trees of the Redpoll) have been planted there ; this 

 being a scarce tree in Oxon, and according to Mr. Druce (' Flora 

 of Oxfordshire'), a doubtful native. Mr. Fowler, writing to me 

 on May 24th, 1889, says Redpolls " are abundant at ' Parson's 

 Pleasure.' " Mr. Lambert has furnished me with the following 

 list of nests seen by him in this locality: — 1888, five eggs (this 

 is the one mentioned in my work) ; 1885, May 27th, one egg; 

 1886, May 13th, five eggs; same year, May 6th, two eggs — two 

 females were unfortunately shot that year ; 1887, one nest with 

 five young, and another newly built ; a third which bore traces of 

 having been used in the spring, was discovered in the autumn. 

 Mr. Fowler saw a pair in the Oxford Parks in June, 1890. These 

 birds were unusually numerous in North Oxon in the autumn of 

 1890 — in consequence, probably, of the exceptionally large crop of 

 alder seed. I saw six in a big alder at Bodicote Mill, on Oct. 19th. 

 Mr. Fowler wrote from Oxford, on Nov. 26th, " Unusual numbers 

 of Redpolls lately." On the 29th I saw a small flock at Bodicote 

 Mill, and three and a " charm" of seven Goldfinches in the alders 

 here at different times of the day on the 30th. On Dec. 3rd a Red- 

 poll, shot somewhere near here, came into my hands, in the flesh — 

 a rather large bird ; and the next day I saw a little flock in alders 

 near the railway station. 



Crossbill. — The nest mentioned in my book (Addenda) as 

 found at Iffley in 1888 was found in February, 1887, by 

 "J. W. S.", who, in reply to my enquiries, communicated par- 

 ticulars to the ' Oxford Times.' It was found about the 19th, in 

 cold weather, in a clump of fir trees. It was placed on a branch 

 near the trunk of the tree, and was formed of twigs of the tree it 

 was built in, lined with hair and fibre and a kind of down. The 

 eggs were three in number, and the bird, which was near the 

 nest, seemed quite tame. It was of a " brick-red" colour. I am 

 acquainted with the finder's full name. 



Hooded Crow. — One was caught at Wickham Mill, near 

 Bloxham, about the middle of February, 1889. At the end of 

 January, that year, I heard of one which had been consorting with 



