348 



The zoologist. 



announcement by Miss Dorothea J. G. Prater, of Farnborough, 

 to the effect that she saw on the 25th a beautiful pair of Golden 

 Orioles. The cock bird alighted on some railings close to the 

 high road between Little and Great Bourton, then flew slowly over 

 a cornfield, followed by his mate. From enquiries made for me by 

 the Rev. H. Holbech, I am satisfied, by the description given, of 

 the correctness of Miss Prater's identification, and that the birds 

 were really Golden Orioles. 



31st. Observed a pair of Red-backed Shrikes with young on 

 the wing, near Banbury, close to the favourite haunt of this 

 species, the brickyard on the Broughton road. 



August. 

 8th. Observed about a dozen (migratory) Wheatears in a 

 meadow at Barford. Swifts remained with us until a remarkably 

 late date this year. Usually they depart by the middle of August, 

 and although stray birds have been seen in the first half of 

 September in some years, I have no note of any other season in 

 which they were observed continuously up to so late a date as they 

 were in 1891. For convenience, I have brought together my own 

 observations of Swifts after their usual time this autumn : — Aug. 

 18th, Swifts round the church tower ; 20th, Swifts in Banbury ; 

 24th, a pair round the church; 26th, one; 27th, one between 

 Bloxham and Banbury, and at least twelve circling round the 

 church tower there ; I also saw one go in under the eaves of a 

 house. From this date to Sept. 2nd I was out of the county, but 

 saw Swifts almost daily in Berkshire and Hampshire. Sept. 2nd, 

 several, some screaming, at Oxford; 4th, four or five here. The 

 weather at the end of August was cold, wet, and stormy. 



September. 

 2nd. Observed on the tow-path just above Oxford a Blue- 

 headed Wagtail. It was over the moult, but its head had a 

 decidedly grey tinge, as contrasted with the back, and was also 

 darker; white eye-streak conspicuous. A rather strong wind 

 was blowing, and I watched the bird for five minutes as it ran 

 along the path (sometimes within three 3 ards of me), catching 

 flies and picking up insects in the shelter afforded by the hedge- 

 bank and the long grass and plants on each side the path. It is 

 noticeable that Mr* Fowler saw one near this place in the previous 



