Jan., 1891. 
THE BIRDS OF OXFORDSHIRE. 
5 
advantages of so narrow a field, and cannot occasionally 
forbear to comment on occurrences of birds just beyond the 
border line, which may naturally be judged to belong to one 
county as much as another, and we heartily commend him for 
so doing. 
Mr. Aplin has been able altogether to note the occurrence 
of 242 species of birds. To these, perhaps, may be added six 
other, the appearance of which is considered doubtful. Of 
this number no less than 103 have been known to breed 
within the county in the present century. Some few, as the 
Kite, Buzzard, Harriers, Raven, and Bittern, have now 
become extinct as breeders; and it is more than probable 
that the Redshank, Snipe, and Black Tern also bred at one 
time amongst the swamps of Otmoor, before enclosure and 
drainage drove them away. 
Of the purely raptorial birds ten are included in Mr. 
Aplin’slist. Of these, three, the White-tailed Eagle, Osprey, 
and Iceland Falcon, must be considered only as chance 
occurrences, just as likely to be seen in one county as 
another. The Peregrine Falcon appears to occur regularly as 
a winter visitor. It is known that a considerable number of 
Peregrines visit England in the autumn, and take up their 
quarters in localities which are favourable for a regular supply 
of food, this appears chiefly to consist near the coast of 
various waders and ducks, and in the interior of wood pigeons, 
and sometimes a tame dove from some neighbouring cote; 
Mr. Aplin records one killed in the act of striking down a 
pigeon. 
It is not improbable that the Hobby nests in Oxfordshire 
in more than one locality. This most graceful and beautiful 
little long-winged falcon feeds mainly on insects, a fact which 
should be recognised by gamekeepers, a body of men, con¬ 
sidering their opportunities, often the most ignorant of the 
economy of our native birds, as they are the most ruthless in 
destroying them. That a bird is a hawk or an owl, or that it 
has a general resemblance to either, is quite sufficient to 
justify its destruction ; and thus it is, year by year, England 
becomes dispeopled of her fair inhabitants in fur and feather 
—the once beautiful denizens of our woods and forests. We 
are glad to see that our author in his charming topographical 
sketch of the county dwells so strongly on this subject, and 
invokes the protection of landed proprietors in favour of these 
and other harmless birds. Previous to 1830 the Kite nested 
regularly in some of the larger woods, but probably became 
extinct during the next ten years, and Mr. Aplin has collected 
a considerable amount of evidence, oral and documentary, in 
connection with its former abundance. 
