An immigration of hawfinches. 369 



Looking at the range of the Hawfinch as here sketched out, 

 some part of Eastern Europe indeed at once suggests itself as 

 the probable starting-point of these uncertain and irregular 

 migratory flocks. From the existence (according to Mr. H. 

 Saunders) in East Siberia, North China and Japan, of the 

 brilliantly-coloured G. vulgaris japonicus (said by Mr. Dresser to 

 be matched by specimens from Spain and Italy), we should 

 naturally expect the Hawfinch of Eastern Europe to be tolerably 

 brightly coloured, and we should in this way account for the 

 presence in England, during the winter months, of Hawfinches 

 more brilliantly-coloured than we might reasonably expect 

 migratory individuals from Northern Europe to be. 



The immigrants now under consideration apparently reached 

 Oxfordshire at the end of November, although more birds were 

 seen at the end of winter and in early spring than in autumn. 

 On December 1st I had news of a pair seen in a garden at King- 

 ham, and on the 5th a pair were seen at Bodicote pecking about 

 under yew trees ; the latter pair were seen on several subsequent 

 occasions, once twisting about the outside of the yew branches 

 and probably picking off the shrivelled berries. I examined two 

 bright males and a female, which were shot at Shenington on 

 the 12th ; another was shot and others seen about the same time. 

 About the 15th a party of five (two of which were much brighter 

 in plumage than the others) were observed at Sarsden ; these 

 roosted at night in high laurels. A male was shot at Surrford 

 on January 2nd, and on the 16th I received a female from 

 Shenington. The crop and stomach of this bird were full of what 

 I have not the least doubt were grains of wheat bitten in pieces. 

 On the 23rd I had news from an Oxford bird-stuffer that he had 

 recently had several; two of them were from Garsington, and 

 he had heard of others in different parts. A pair were also seen 

 on two occasions in January in a garden at Drayton. On the 

 11th of February a Banbury stuffer told me that he had received 

 thirteen up to that date. These included three from Shenington 

 mentioned above ; the others came from Hook Norton, Ward- 

 ington, Williamscote and Broughton. I saw several of these in 

 his shop. About this date I heard that a Newbury (Berks) bird- 

 stuffer had had several recently. I saw another bright male 

 which had been shot at Hook Norton that month, and on the 10th 

 had examined in the flesh the best male bird I ever saw ; the 



