( 413 ) 



NOTES ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE, 



1903. 



By 0. V. Aplin, F.L.S. 



January 5th.— Very big floods. 



7th. — Galanthus elwesii and Cyclamen coum in bloom. Aconites 

 a fine show. Starlings singing about the buildings as if it were 

 spring. Part of the great host of Wood-Pigeons seem to have 

 gone into the eastern side of the county. Mr. W. Horwood 

 writes from Caversfield : " The Wood-Pigeons are now with us 

 in thousands, feeding on the clover and turnip-tops." They had 

 also countless thousands of Starlings roosting in a cover. 



9th. — A Wren roosting in a nest built last autumn in an 

 Irish yew. Just after dusk I was attracted by a twittering note, 

 and traced it to the nest. 



13th. — Hard frost for some days. Bramblings with Chaf- 

 finches under beech trees. 



16th. — Very severe weather. The Hedge- Sparrow is the only 

 bird not silenced, and sings cheerily. Redpolls with Goldfinches 

 feeding in alders. Saw yesterday, at Mr. Bartlett's, a Redwing 

 of a pale warm buffy brown, shot near Banbury. A short time 

 ago I received as a present a white Starling, a bird of the year, 

 hatched at Tadmarton, and killed in June, 1902. 



17th. — 13° on the grass. The ' Banbury Advertiser ' of the 

 15th contains a note to the effect that Starlings then had young 

 in the gable of a house at Hook Norton. There are " squeaker " 

 Pigeons at a farm here. The frost began on the 11th. 



19th.— Thaw. Song-Thrush singing again. 



24th. — Nuthatch trilling again, and utters the series of 

 whistles, but has not acquired the long ones yet. 



29th. — Very mild weather lately. Nineteen species of plants 

 in bloom in garden. 



Rainfall (at Bloxham Grove) 2*58 in. on thirteen days. 



February 15th. — Having been away from home since the 

 30th ult., I find on my return that in consequence of the 



