ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 25 



October 3rd. — A young well-grown female Partridge nearly 

 over the moult, with white horseshoe. 



5th. — A good many Jays about. 



9th. — A Grey Wagtail in the brook here. Alarm note in 

 flight is a highly-pitched sharp and very hard itch-it or itch-it-tit t 

 uttered quickly. 



10th. — Many Meadow Pipits in loose flocks and singly in 

 swede fields. Lark sang poorly. 



12th. — Redwings about hedges. Many Meadow Pipits again. 

 Lark sang. 



15th. — Some Swallows hawking flies round a big oak at 

 Wickham. A Woodcock seen on Bloxham Grove. 



29th. — The * Field ' to-day contained an announcement by 

 Mr. W. W. Fowler that Mr. W. C. Carnegie saw a Swift at 

 Churchill in company with a large number of House Martins on 

 the 1 5th inst. This is a record late date for Oxon. Swifts were 

 recorded as seen this month at Edinburgh, Bath, and in the Isle 

 of Wight. 



31st. — Song Thrush singing well. We have now only our 

 (comparatively) few winter Robins. Mr. H. G. Thomson saw 

 three Grey Crows flying over from north to south at Woodperry 

 on the 23rd. 



November 1st. — Fieldfares passed over my garden "chacking." 



4th. — When pike-fishing at Byfield Reservoir, Northampton- 

 shire, not far over the Oxfordshire boundaries, I saw no fewer than 

 three Cormorants, which I was told had been there for about ten 

 days. One bird was fully adult, and another quite immature. They 

 passed most of their time sitting on the mud edge (the water being 

 very low), occasionally hanging their wings out to dry, but I saw 

 one busily fishing. The shots of a Snipe-shooter alarmed them 

 considerably in the forenoon, and they took wing, circling round 

 at a great height, and I thought they had gone for good. But 

 they soon returned, and I afterwards learned that they were in 

 the habit of visiting Clattercote Reservoir, in Oxon, occasionally 

 remaining there for the night, and roosting in some tall elms on 

 the bank. I think they remained about six weeks in the 

 neighbourhood. 



As my man was walking up the shrubbery to-day, a hawk 

 dashed at a small bird. The latter dropped through some lilacs, 



