330 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



27th. — Great flocks of Finches on the stubbles ; among the 

 Bramblings a fair lot of fine old males with conspicuous white 

 backs. 



29th. — Two Nuthatches at Broughton. We have none here 

 now. 



30th. — Stubbles full of Larks. Great flocks of Wood-Pigeons 

 reported ; I saw a small flock of about one hundred in a root- 

 field to-day. Kedpolls again feeding on willow-herb seeds by 

 stream. 



31st. — Sharp frost and bitterly cold S.E. wind. 



A rather mild and dry December. In Christmas week an 

 example of Bay's Wagtail was shot, with a Grey Wagtail, near 

 the mill on the Cherwell at Banbury. I saw them both after 

 they had been stuffed, and this is the only time I ever knew the 

 former bird occur here in winter. 



1906. 



January 1st. — A Grey Crow, with the Crows, Books, and 

 Jackdaws, leaving the arable land at roosting-time, and there 

 may have been others. 



5th. — Mistle- and Song-Thrashes continue to sing well, as 

 they did last month. 



6th. — A destructive gale from S.W., working out in N.W. 



16th. — A Siskin killed by a cat from a dozen frequenting a 

 garden in Banbury. Bedpolls still about here. 



23rd. — A fine male Stonechat in Grove lane, on the hedge 

 between two ploughed fields. 



24th. — News from Mr. Darbey of a Black Bedstart caught 

 alive at Cowley, and two Little Auks and a Storm-Petrel picked 

 up near Oxford early this month. 



26th.— Coal-Tit sings. 



27th. — Very mild. Song- and Mistle-Thrushes, which have 

 sung all the month, are now in very fine and full voice. 



28th. — News from Mr. Fowler of Siskins in Christ Church 

 meadows again. 



29th. — Blackbird sang [but not again until Feb. 16th]. The 

 amount of Thrush-song is wonderful, and the birds have been 

 numerous the last half of the month. 



A wet stormy month, with floods ; very mild at the close. 



