ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 457 



1899. On my way back from Wallingford, I called to see 

 Mr. Darbey in Oxford, and a propos of this he told me that some 

 years ago (probably twenty, he was then in Market Street) he 

 stuffed an Osprey for Mr. Tyrrel, of Water Eaton, who shot it. 

 It was seen to plunge into the Cherwell, and as it rose it was 

 shot. It did not fall at once, but carried the Eoach it had 

 caught with it until it fell. The Eoach was preserved with it. 



Pallas's Sand Grouse. — Alluding to the fine male and female 

 in his collection, part of the 1888 immigration, Mr. Newton 

 remarked that he first saw a flock on the Sunday, and that on 

 the nest day he saw four or five flocks. 



Quail. — Not so plentiful as formerly, and the enclosing of the 

 old Common Fields, which did away with the " mere-baulks," 

 as they were called, had much to do with this falling off in their 

 numbers. They used to breed extensively in the parish of 

 Ewelme, and one afternoon (Sept. 29th) he shot five couple. 

 He was speaking of the old pointer days ; there was a very 

 strong scent to Quail. 



Bittern. — One was shot there in September, 1856. It rose 

 from a grassy hedge-bank close to one of the guns out Partridge- 

 shooting. 



Stone Curlew. — Mr. Newton has found the eggs several times 

 on the Oxfordshire hills some two miles above Crowmarsh, but 

 higher up near Nettlebed they breed extensively, and on English 

 farm he used frequently to see flocks of fifty or sixty together, 

 and only the previous yea , in the parish of Ewelme, he saw a 

 flock of quite that size, --hey "flight" down to lower grounds 

 at dusk, and scream as they fly. 



Ring-Ouzel. — Sometimes occurs in autumn. 



Brambling. — Vast flocks frequent the beech woods on the 

 hills in autumn, coming down to the lower grounds and farms 

 later in the season. 



Cirl-Bunting. — Nested twice on the flat bough of a deodara in 

 a garden in Crowmarsh. 



I examined the following birds, among many others, two or 

 three of which I have already mentioned in my ' Birds of Oxford- 

 shire.' I can now, however, add some further particulars of 

 these : — 



Zool. Uh ser. vol. IX., December, 1905. 2 n 



