ORNITHOLOGY OF OXFORDSHIRE. 



323 



20th. — Heavy snow showers. 



22nd. — Mistle-Thrush's nest with four hard -sat eggs in a 

 laburnum-tree in the garden ; the bird sits very hard, but her 

 tail extending over the edge of the nest and the light-coloured 

 outer tail-feathers make her conspicuous. 



23rd. — Snow fell all day (up to noon mixed with rain), but 

 fortunately wasted to some extent ; temp. 37° at noon. At 

 5.30 p.m. every twig loaded with snow and shrubs weighed down. 

 A Thrush sitting high on big young in a bay-tree sat bravely 

 through it, though the weighing outwards of the branches has 

 quite exposed her ; wind N.N.E. By 7 p.m. it was freezing, and 

 the wind having risen the conditions approached those of a 

 blizzard for a time, but the wind sank to calm again. A Black- 

 bird sang in evening. 



24th. — At 4.30 a.m., with everything deep in snow and the 

 temperature having been down to 26° in the night, Blackbirds 

 sang well. Bright sun thawing snow in forenoon, but the air 

 was cold, and icicles from one to two feet long formed on the 

 eaves, &c. Most of the snow wasted during the day, but some 

 remaining on the roofs, hills, and the church-spire (a sure sign) 

 looked ominous, and the air soon cooled again, until by 6.30 p.m. 

 it was freezing; then snow began to fall at night, the wind 

 having backed from N.N.W. to S.W. The Mistle-Thrush and 

 the Song-Thrush in the bay- tree sat out the storm so far. 



25th. — Snowed all last night, but the snow had wasted to 

 same extent as it fell, so that it was not very deep this morning ; 

 still falling. But about 11 a.m. the wind went into the east and 

 then north, the temperature dropped, and the snow accumulated. 

 Snow fell all day, and by evening everything was buried. At 

 11 p.m. snow was still falling. Heard Fieldfares flying over in 

 the day. Blackbirds sang at intervals in the morning, but not 

 in the afternoon, and Thrushes not at all. The Cuckoo was 

 reported as seen and heard at Stanton Harcourt ! 



26th. — A wonderful scene this morning in the sun. Snow a 

 foot deep on the level — e. g. my lawn — and several feet deep in 

 the drifts. It was nearly a foot deep on the roofs and heaped 

 up on shrubs (which were in many cases bowed to the ground), 

 and trees to the same extent. Great destruction among shrubs 

 and trees, which were broken or fallen in all directions. The 



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