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Rh 18. Mr. Alfred Heneage Cocks writes: 1 An extraordinary number, I should say about a million, was seen over the river and pool at Great Marlow opposite our house about 4 to 5 p.m. on September 18, 1896. Some hundreds were seen on October 7, 1899." An old bird and two young were seen by the same gentleman at Great Marlow on November 13, 14, and 15, 1889.

49. Sand-Martin. Cotile riparia (Linn.).

Breeds where there are suitable places for it, i.e. sand-pits, river-banks, etc. It is frequently seen on the Thames. Albinos are not frequent in this species. According to Clark Kennedy (p. 91) an albino was shot on the river near Marlow, by Mr. F. Wheeler, in August 1867. A whitish variety was shot just on the borders of Bucks near one of the Tring reservoirs on July 20, 1901. The upperside is pale greyish white, wings and tail slightly more greyish; underside white, the band across the chest hardly noticeable. The specimen was a male. The iris and pupil were of an almost colourless watery appearance, the feet were pale flesh-colour.

50. Greenfinch. Ligurinus Moris (Linn.).

Extremely common all the year round.

51. Hawfinch. Coccothraustes vulgaris, Pallas.

(We consider that the correct name is Coccothraustes coccothraustes [Linn.].)

Somewhat local and generally not common. Mr. Alfred Heneage Cocks writes: ' Its numbers are probably increasing. It nested just outside our garden at Great Marlow in 1890, and in 1891 about 30 feet high in a Scotch fir in our garden. For many years it has been nesting at Bisham Abbey near Great Marlow, Bucks.' Mr. Grossman says: 'This bird used to breed near Great Marlow, and is now to be found in increasing numbers in Burnham Beeches and the surrounding neighbourhood. I saw a number of these birds for two successive winters at Denham.' Mr. Kennedy records it breeding at Latimer near Chesham; the Rev. H. Harpur Crewe stated that a few pairs were breeding almost every year in the park at Hartwell House near Aylesbury. Near Chequers Court it is rare. We have seen it or had specimens from Halton, Cholesbury, St. Leonard's, Chesham and Stowe Park.

52. Goldfinch. Cardeulis elegans, Stephens.

(The correct name, in our opinion, would be Carduelis carduelis [Linn.].)

This bright-coloured bird is nowhere common. Though it is seen everywhere occasionally and breeds in limited numbers in many places it seems to decrease. Everybody complains about the professional birdtrappers. The Rev. H. D. Astley says that they spread their nets with decoys on the hills above Wendover, where the goldfinch is ' not nearly so numerous as twenty years ago.' We saw it occasionally near Cholesbury, Chesham, Aylesbury and Cheddington. Mr. Grossman has seen it only ' very occasionally ' in southern Buckinghamshire.

53. Siskin. Carduelis spinus (Linn.).

An irregular winter visitor, rare or unnoticed in some mild winters, generally more frequent in cold winters with much snow. In the hard winters of 1866-7 anc ' ^57 great numbers were seen and many were captured near Windsor. Bird-trappers often catch it.

54. House-Sparrow. Passer domesticus (Linn.).

Only too numerous everywhere. Albinos and pied varieties have been taken too frequently to enumerate them. Certainly one of our earlier breeders, the young being not unfrequently hatched in the middle of April, but it breeds very late into July. Two broods are the rule, but three are not unfrequent.

55. Tree-Sparrow. Passer montanus (Linn.).

' A resident species, but nowhere numerous and very local.' Those words were written by Clark Kennedy in 1858 (Birds of Berks and Bucks, p. 32), and we find this statement still correct, though it must be admitted that this sparrow is doubtless overlooked by many casual observers. We have specimens from Aston Clinton in the Tring Museum; it nests near Buckingham, where Mr. Kennedy reports a case of a nest in a sand martins' hole. Specimens have been killed at Datchet, Slough, Newbury and Aylesbury.

56. Chaffinch. Fringilla Cælebs, Linn.

Certainly one of the most common birds, if not the most numerous bird of the county. Nests everywhere and is seen during the winter in flocks, many of which must have come from the north.

57. Brambling. Fringilla montifringilla, Linn.

The brambling appears every winter, though many people mistake it apparently for the very different chaffinch. We have frequently seen flocks late in October, and W. Rothschild saw a great flock near Eddlesborough as late as March 3, 1902, but they are noticed most frequently in December and January.