322 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



23rd.— Hedge-Sparrow sang, the only bird singing now. A 

 flock consisting of about a thousand small birds were about 

 three parts Tree-Sparrows and one part Linnets. Three or four 

 Peewits (unusual birds in a frost) on high ground. A Black- 

 throated Diver, adult in winter dress, which was picked up alive 

 here on the 20th and died this morning, was brought to me. 

 Length 25 in., wing 12, tail 3 ; outside of tarsus and outer toe 

 and outside of part of middle toe blackish ; rest of tarsus and 

 toes more or less blue-grey ; bill bluish horn, culmen and tip 

 dark horn. This is the only really satisfactory record of the 

 occurrence of this Diver in Oxfordshire. 



27th. — Wood-Pigeons cooing 24th and to-day, although still 

 frosty. 



February 1st. — Three Mistle-Thrushes flew past, two of them 

 at least singing in a hurried manner. 



3rd. — Stock-Dove cooing ["this bird has been known to have 

 eggs by March 6th] , and several Larks singing. 



4th. — Garden full of Song-Thrushes again, but there is little 

 food for them. 



9th. — Crows pairing. 



28th. — Peewits on the breeding ground. 



March 3rd. — Piooks building. 



11th. — News that one hundred and fourteen Wood-Pigeons 

 were killed by one gun at Eynsham on 1st. 



13th. — Pied Wagtails on ploughings. 



17th. — About a score of Redpolls and one Goldfinch feeding 

 under alder trees by the Swere. Wren building. 



19th.— Little flock of fresh-looking Meadow-Pipits on Milcomb 

 hills. Several Kestrels seen this month. 



22nd.— Chiffchaff. 



24th. — Several Chiffchaffs. Another party of Meadow-Pipits. 

 Coal-Tit's spring note so fine and full as to be worthy to be called 

 a song. 



26th. — Flock of twenty or thirty Meadow-Pipits. 



April 1st. — Near Crouch Hill about a score of Golden Plover, 

 quite low and evidently just put up, flew past me. 



2nd. — Wheatear. 



8th. — Snow lay thick this morning. 



9th, — Mistle-Thrush sings now in early dawn and all day, 



