ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 325 



and as demonstratively affectionate as Love-birds. Linnets 

 are unusually abundant this season, and are breeding down in 

 the valley. 



27th. — As we were sitting in the garden just after 9 p.m. a 

 Brown Owl pursued a Thrush (which was screaming) across the 

 lawn ; just as they passed out of sight over a yew tree, and out 

 of the garden, the screaming ceased suddenly ! This is the only 

 time I ever saw an Owl in chase of a bird. 



28th. — Probably the same Owl flew within six yards of us just 

 after 9 p.m., and passed over the top of an ivy-arch in which a 

 Blackbird was sitting on three eggs. She must have quaked ! 

 Three Garden Warblers' nests I have found this month have 

 each contained only four young. 



29th. — Several Golden Plover passed, and hovered, over the 

 village, 10.45 p.m. Dark and damp. An early date for migra- 

 tion. 



July 1st. — Some ash trees have not yet recovered from the 

 May frost, and will not be in full leaf this year. A Swallow's 

 nest in my stable is built against a cross-beam, its only support 

 being a big iron staple driven into the beam. 



4th. — The Shrikes near the Lessor Farm have young, fledging, 

 in an exposed nest in a blackthorn. 



5th. — Visited Minster Lovell village and meadows with Mr. 

 Calvert. It is a limestone village with white dazzling roads and 

 grey houses, and a fine place for the House-Martin which abounds. 

 There were many nests — whole rows of them ; some building, 

 one of which, under eaves of thatch-roof, was only about eight 

 feet from the ground. But the Sand-Martins, which love to feed 

 about the Windrush, are badly off for nesting-sites, and breed 

 here in a garden wall about eight or nine feet high bordering the 

 village street. It has a flat coping of rough flag- stones, and 

 under this the birds were going in and out, and also in one or 

 two other places about six inches lower down where mortar or 

 stone was displaced. The holes were very small. Although the 

 Windrush is a Trout-river, with a full strong stream of remark- 

 ably clear water, the banks are low and marshy — not steep and 

 clearly defined like those of Cherwell and Evenlode. A thick 

 growth of rushes and true feathery-topped reeds, and patches of 

 yellow iris in places, often hide the river, and the banks are so 



