NOTES FROM OXFORDSHIRE. 351 



few days of September; Sclavonian Grebe, adult in winter dress, 

 but showing traces of the horus, shot at Sandford a few days 

 before I saw it ; Little Owl, trapped in a rabbit-hole in a bank, 

 near Thame, and sent to Mr. Darbey on Nov. 11th (this species 

 is new to the county list) ; four Grey Phalaropes, apparently 

 adults changing into winter dress, procured in the middle of 

 October — one on Port Meadow, one at Handborough, the others 

 close to Oxford ; another, obtained on the Gloucestershire side 

 of the county in the latter part of October, was taken to Mr. 

 Coombs ; and on the 7th of December Mr. Warde Fowler bought 

 one in Oxford Market, making the sixth example which had 

 come inland to Oxfordshire from the hosts of these birds which 

 come to our southern and south-western shores during S.W. 

 gales in the middle of October. This year saw the greatest 

 immigration to Great Britain of Grey Phalaropes which has 

 occurred since the notable invasion of 1866. Stock Doves are 

 numerous and very tame in Oxford now. 



23rd. Mr. Fowler and I saw either a Swallow or a Martin 

 (probably the former) for a moment over Lincoln College Quad- 

 rangle. Both species have been observed almost continuously in 

 Oxford up to this date. There were many Swallows, Mr. Fowler 

 tells me, over Merton Meadow on the 12th. On reaching home, 

 a supposed hybrid between a Blackbird and Thrush was brought 

 to me (Zool., 1892, p. 145). The cold wet summer, and fairly 

 wild, very wet autumn, probably accounts for the late stay 

 Swallows and Martins made. But Gilbert White long ago ob- 

 served that they habitually remained late at Oxford. The last 

 Swallows I saw here (at Bloxham) were on the 16th October, 

 and the last Martins (three or four) on the 21st. 



26th. A Short-eared Owl was brought to Mr. Wyatt. 



December. 



8th. At Clattercote Reservoir I saw a fine drake and duck 

 Wigeon (the only ducks there), ; and two Great Crested Grebes 

 in full winter dress, though I think they were both young birds 

 of the year, and one certainly was so. I never saw Crested 

 Grebes on this water later than Nov. 18th in previous years. 



19th. The ice on the floods would bear skaters, and the 

 season was changed from this time. To show the absence of 

 frost up to this date the following observations may be worth 

 preserving:— Oct. 23rd. Scarlet runner beans still fit to eat; 



