ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 335 



line in 1887. News of a pair of Hobbies breeding in a Crow's 

 nest of this season in a big oak in one of the woods in West 

 Oxon. On July 10th the nest contained one young one covered 

 with white down and two "pipped" eggs. On the 5th inst. the 

 young were fledged, but still in the nest. The contents of the 

 nest which were sent to rue consisted of the elytra of large 

 beetles, a foot and part of a wing of a Blackbird, one tail-feather 

 of a Song-Thrush, some wing- and tail-feathers of a Blue Tit, 

 and several " castings." 



12th. — The Barn-Owl has been noisy for the last week 

 or two. 



14th. — Golden Plovers heard passing over at 9.30 p.m. ; 

 starlight. 



17th. — The morning congregation of Martins (with a few 

 Swallows) has increased daily. 



20th. — Numbers of Swifts still here, and I doubt if there is 

 any diminution in their numbers yet ; breeding was doubtless 

 delayed by the cold weather in May. 



21st. — Willow- Wren singing. Country much dried up. That 

 "gipsy-migrant," the Bullfinch, is much less common this sum- 

 mer than last. Not so many Starlings bred with us this year as 

 in the last season or two, when they occupied every hole they 

 could find. Can it be that the invading host of Purple Starlings 

 has passed on ? 



27th. — Not for years until last year and this have I seen so 

 many Swallows and Martins in the air in the evenings. 



28th. — Blackbirds, finding little fruit this year, have left the 

 garden to a large extent. Thrushes have gone as usual. 



A fine hot month on the whole, up to 84°. 



September 1st. — 87° in the shade. The country in a de- 

 plorable condition ; grass-fields as brown as stubbles ; shrubs 

 dying. 



2nd.— 88° in the shade. 



3rd.— In the forenoon a vast swarm of Swallows and Martins 

 (most of the latter) in the air. 



7th.— A Land-Bail shot out of seedy saintioin, &c, the only 

 one seen so far. But we have walked no standing corn, the 

 harvest being early. Many Mistle-Thrushes in flocks of twenty 

 or thirty together on the clover and grass fields. 



