ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 9 



feathers in the wings, breast and belly white with the exception 

 of a few feathers, scapulars white, back nearly all white, crown 

 partly white. It was shot at Great Bourton in March, 1898. 

 Also two adult male Pied Woodpeckers — one from Tusmore, killed 

 two years ago ; the other shot in the neighbourhood of Banbury 

 more recently. 



September 1st. — Flock of Mistle-Thrushes. A Wheatear 

 and a party of about fifteen Pied Wagtails on a ploughing. A 

 Red-legged Partridge, fully moulted, had the legs, bill, and eye- 

 lids orange instead of red ; it was a heavy bird, requiring 18 oz. 

 and a sixpence to balance it. 



5th. — Saw a Clouded Yellow Butterfly in a potato-field. Red 

 Admirals are very abundant, and feed on fallen plums and on 

 those hanging on the trees which the Blackbirds have pecked. 

 81° in the shade. 



8th. — Shot a very curious Partridge on Bloxham Grove. 

 The rusty colour on the head, face, and throat very bright and 

 well developed. The grey vermiculated feathers on the breast 

 from the throat downwards mostly dashed with the same rusty 

 yellow. Sides of the belly and rump the same, and many of the 

 flank-feathers tipped and splashed with the same. The bright 

 rusty yellow of the upper throat extending over the breast and 

 belly suggests the colouration of Pei'dix daurica. I exhibited 

 the bird at the British Ornithologists' Club meeting in April, 

 1900. Five or six brace of birds killed in the same field the 

 same week showed no signs of abnormal colouring. 



9th. — A vast flock of Linnets (perhaps between one and two 

 thousand) on a barley- stubble, very foul with knot-grass and 

 other weeds, at Milcomb. 



10th. — About dusk a Landrail rose from a strip of roadside 

 grass, and flew at once over a rather high hedge close to me. 



13th. — Very big flock of Peewits in a field of thin swedes. 

 Partridges are fairly numerous and strong this season, though 

 scarcer on hilly ground than they should be, doubtless in con- 

 sequence of the great drought. On the 25th August I saw an old 

 Partridge drinking at a spring, a thing I never happened to see 

 before. Of " cover " there is practically none, swedes having 

 been an almost entire failure. Red-legged Partridges are 

 more numerous than ever. To-day three brace out of thirteen 



