ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 451 



17th. — A Turtle-Dove's nest with two fresh eggs had a dis- 

 tinct lining of clover-stems. 



18th. — Torrents of rain, the outskirts of a thunderstorm, 

 broke up the spell of fine weather which has lasted with hardly 

 any fall since June 21st. Thereafter the rest of the year was 

 terribly wet. 



19th. — Pair of Barred Woodpeckers very noisy about the 

 garden, and I think have young in a big walnut tree just the 

 other side my wall. 



20th. — Preedy brought two hard-sat clutches of Sand-Martins' 

 eggs he had uncovered when getting sand. Less than a year 

 afterwards he was killed by a fall of sand and earth in the pit. 



22nd.— There fell at Bloxham Grove, 18th-21st, 2*91 inches 

 of rain. 



29th. — Numbers of Garden and other Warblers in the kitchen 

 garden now. 



31st. — At Langley Mr. Calvert showed me a Linnet's nest 

 built in the side of a straw-rick three feet from the ground. The 

 nest was nearly all wool, but on the open side there was an out- 

 work of clover-stems. It contained four eggs. Linnets are 

 abundant in the high-lying country round there (formerly part 

 of Wychwood Forest), but breeding accommodation is rather 

 limited, for stone walls almost entirely take the place of hedges. 

 I may mention here that when shooting at Langley early in 

 October, we found in a potato-field an old Linnet's nest built in 

 the middle of a potato-plant on the top of the ridge. Just now 

 Linnets are destructive to kale-seed now being harvested, and 

 we saw flocks among the plants. In the early morning Corn- 

 Buntings were dusting with the Larks on the road. 



Bainfall 5*11 in. on fifteen days. 



August 2nd. — Starlings are singing again in the morning. 



8th. — Corn-Bunting singing. A few apricots ripe. Birds 

 very destructive to fruit, notwithstanding the wet season. 



11th. — When Otter-hunting on the Cherwell saw a Green 

 Sandpiper at Twyford Bridge. 



12th. — Still much hay out and some fields uncut. 



13th. — Found an Otter on the Evenlode between Handborough 

 and Charlbury, but lost it. A big flock of Peewits on the high 

 ground near Langley. 



