Cambridge - Ely - Oxford
Ther. [Thermometer] Tues. [Tuesday] July 11, 1911 Wea. [Weather]
81 [degrees] Superb.
Brilliantly clear with light easterly wind.
Warm in sun comfortably cool in shade. No haze.
Breakfast at 9. Got to the colleges about 10
and spent two hours seeing them under the
most perfect conditions possible. Their beauty
& interest simply indescribable especially
Kings, Trinity & St. John's. Magdalene very small
but pretty. Was shown fine oil painting of
Alfred Newton & the little vine embowered
house in which he lived now occupied by
Mr. Benson. Blackbirds, Robins, Thrushes, & 
a Chaffinch in its garden, Swifts over it.
Motored to Ely (15 miles] and had a 
delicious lunch at the Lamb Inn.
At Cathedral 3-4 P.M. It is very
large & beautiful & imposing, too, in a way 
but less impressive to my mind than Durham
Winchester or even Chester lacking their 
austere simplicity. The Jeffersons C. [Caroline Brewster] & I
came back to Oxford by auto, [?] by
train. Late afternoon most beautiful. Never
before have I seen English landscape to such
rare advantage. From car window saw
2 Kestrels [male] & [female], a Heron rising from a little
pool in pasture, a covy of 5 Partridges
50 Lapwings in one flock, lots of Wood
Pigeons, Starlings etc. Very [?] Irish
horse [?] in car [?] 2 English farmers
Also fine old British tenant farmer. 

Oxford
Ther. [Thermometer] Wed. [Wednesday] July 12, 1911 Wea. [Weather]
82 [degrees] Perfect.
Brilliantly clear & just delightfully warm
with light N.W. [Northwest] wind. No traces of haze.
  The only birds heard singing were a
Greenfinch and a Wren.
  Went down town in forenoon. Tried
on my new clothes which fit well. Bought
a tobacco pouch & a book (Game Keeper's Note Book)
Went through market where I found living
Tortoises, "Grass" Snakes & big Toads for sale.
Sat for half an hour smoking a quiet pipe
in the beautiful garden of Wadham College.
As usual it was alive with birds which, as
usual, kept mostly half hidden in dense
foliage. I made out a Chaffinch, a Thrush, 
a Robin & a Spotted Flycatcher. Heard a
Greenfinch in full song & various calls I did 
not recognize. The British Finches bother
me exceedingly & I do not yet know them
at all accurately. I see few Butterflies
hardly one a day of any kind. Spent
afternoon & evening indoors. C. [Caroline Brewster] used up 
by last two days.