ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 291 



14th. — Mistle-Thrush sang a little. 



18th. — Hedge- Sparrow sang for first time since summer. 



22nd. — Starlings feeding greedily on holly berries. Weather 

 frosty the last ten days or so, but changed to-day. 



28th. — Very warm day. Two Larks sang about noon. Coal- 

 Tit with spring note for some days. Thrushes nearly all gone. 

 A Eedshank shot on the Cherwell close to Banbury, and sent to 

 me two days later. Bullfinches abundant this winter. 



31st.— Mr. E. Tyrrell writes : " Several flocks of Wild Geese 

 have been flying over here [BanburyJ these last few days, flying 

 low down." The very few Song-Thrushes we have left sing 

 a little. 



Kain on twenty-four days, amounting to over three and a half 

 inches. Air damp. Wind S.W., but slight snow more than once, 

 and frost on ten days ; the lowest temperature 20° on 21st. 



The great immigration of Crossbills does not seem to have 

 affected this district, where we have few conifers. The following 

 records must be added to this report : — 



Aug 5th. Flock of about twenty at Henley (? Berks), end 

 of August. A few at Beading (Berks). Nov. 5th. Flock of nine- 

 teen, Shotover, Oxford. Nov. 11th. Small flock, Cuddesdon. 

 Nov. 17th. Small flock flying over Oxford. (' Science Gossip,' 

 December, 1909, p. 406.) 



Flocks first seen at Cornwell on Sept. 2nd and onwards until 

 January, 1910, when their numbers appeared to decrease ; the 

 last time they were seen was on February 16th. (F. W. Stowe, 

 ' British Birds,' 1910, p. 332.) 



But Mr. Fowler wrote on March 25th, 1910, that there were 

 still Crossbills at Cornwell, scattered about and possibly nesting. 

 A pair were believed to be nesting just behind Cornwell House. 

 Mr. Fowler had watched one, two or three days before, at work 

 on larch-cones close to Cornwell village, and others had been 

 seen (in lit.). 



