ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 411 



3rd.— Torrents of rain. Our little valley full of water, and 

 the flood said to be the highest for twenty-two years. "February 

 fill-dyke" found the ditches already full. 



oth.— Uplands and valleys alike are simply swampy. 



8th. — Floods out again. Two Chaffinches singing in the 

 garden, the song rough and unfinished. Hawfinches have lately 

 been visiting a garden open to the village street, in which there 

 are some big Portugal laurel bushes — perhaps to eat the seeds. 



10th. — The floods in the Sorbrook and Cherwell valleys are 

 probably the biggest since the " seventies," and the country 

 generally certainly wetter than in any part of 1879. 



17th. — Some Redwings ; more than I have seen all the winter. 

 Two small flocks of Wood-Pigeons and one of Peewits. 



19th. — Twice lately I have seen a small flock of Corn-Bunt- 

 ings round ricks; they call "trit" as they fly off. This bird 

 began to sing about the 15th. 



20th. — Very mild, after six days of snow and frost on and off. 

 Ptobin began building in some high rockwork close to the house, 

 where it has nested for several years. 



25th. — Saw two more Crossbills, which were shot at Tussmore 

 just after the first two. 



26th. — Snow. 



Rainfall 4*54 inches, fell on seventeen days. 



I have had news from Mr. Fowler of an adult Red-throated 

 Diver, caught at the end of this winter, and probably this month, 

 near Chipping Norton Junction Station, by a boy who said he 

 blundered against it in the dusk. The bird nearly poked his eye 

 out when he got hold of it. 



March 1st. — Mr. Darbey, of Oxford, told me he had received 

 many Hawfinches to stuff this winter. Also that in the summer, 

 four years ago, he had a "basketful" from Blenheim, where they 

 were breeding in the gardens, but did too much damage to the 

 peas. On the pool by the railway near Wolvercot I saw eight 

 Coots, and a Great Crested Grebe, still looking very grey. 



5th. — Cold and snowy the last few days. Not a bud swelled, 

 except a few of the flowering currant, low down and sheltered. 



6th. — Rooks busy at nests. 



8th. — After a pouring wet night, with nearly half an inch of 

 rain, the weather changed to-day, and the long spell of wet 



