ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 455 



and at Hook Norton. Wheat still out, and lots of barley 

 and oats. 



17th. — Grey Wagtail in ditch at Milton. 



19th. — Eed-legged Partridges are even more scarce than our 

 own birds. The country is terribly wet, and the gateways 

 surrounded with mud and water. Some barley not cut, and this 

 and oats rotting on the ground. A Fieldfare flew over, and three 

 others settled in a stubble-field. 



20th. — Two Martins over the village. 



22nd. — A flock of Crossbills reported as seen in the larch 

 spinney near Tadmarton Heath yesterday. I went up to-day 

 and the next day, but could not find them. A fine red male was 

 sent to me from over the Warwickshire borders. A Long-eared 

 Owl was trapped in this spinney in the summer, and liberated. 

 It is very rare as a breeding species in this part of the county. 



23rd. — Came suddenly on a female Sparrow-Hawk on a gate 

 near Lower Tadmarton. 



24th. — A pair of House-Martins hawking near the railway- 

 station all the afternoon. Goldfinches singing. 



25th. — Very stormy ; wind, rain, and lightning. 



26th. — Stormy and heavy rain. Only one Martin about. 



27th. — Torrents of rain. 



28th. — In the twenty-four hours ending at 9 a.m. this 

 morning, 1*6 in. of rain fell. The little valley through the 

 village is a river! The Sorbrook valley is a series of lakes from 

 Wickham to Adderbury. Found the remains of a Stock-Dove 

 just outside an oak spinney on Bloxham Grove, which appeared 

 to have been killed and partly eaten by a Peregrine. 



29th. — Very big flood in the Cherwell valley. 



31st. — The wettest October I remember. To Somerton to 

 look at the flooded valley. A team of Duck, one or two Herons, 

 Moorhens, and two small flocks of Peewits, were all the wild-fowl 

 I saw, except an immature Golden-eye busily diving in the deep 

 water of the huge lake now covering Clifton "Moor." Seventeen 

 Fieldfares in one lot. One over the garden this morning. I 

 passed, at Adderbury, part of the scene of the destructive wind- 

 storm of the 25th, which, coming from the direction of Swerford, 

 missed this village almost (passing to the south), and, passing 

 the Grove and Adderbury, extended towards Warkworth. The 



