NIGHTINGALE ON THE ISLE OF MAY 133 



island later in the day we found that many migrants had 

 arrived. While beating one of the patches of rhubarb a bird 

 was flushed ; we succeeded in securing it with some difficulty, 

 and to our delight saw that we had got a Nightingale. On 

 comparing it with the description in Dr. Hartert's invaluable 

 book on Palsearctic birds we decided that it was the Southern 

 Nightingale (Lnscinia megarhynchos megarhynchos = Daulias 

 luscinia of Saunders and other authors), which, though it 

 breeds in many parts of England, has not hitherto been proved 

 to occur in Scotland. This identification was confirmed by 

 Mr. Eagle Clarke to whom we submitted the specimen, 

 which we have presented to the Royal Scottish Museum. 

 We were interested to find that the weather conditions in 

 which the Nightingale arrived, were exactly those in which 

 Gatke noted the arrival of this species on Heligoland. 

 He writes : " Solitary examples of the Nightingale arrive in 

 Heligoland from about the middle of April to the middle of 

 May, with light southerly or south-easterly winds, especially 

 if these are accompanied in the early hours by a fine light 



rain." 



Our bird appeared in precisely similar weather ; it was in 

 good plumage and proved to be a male in breeding condition 

 and quite fat. About 4 A.M. on the Qth we heard a bird 

 singing which at the time we said sounded like a Nightingale, 

 and as many of the other migrants sang when on the island 

 it is probable that the song really was that of this bird. 



REPORT ON SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGY 



IN 1910. 



Compiled by LEONORA JEFFREY RINTOUL, H.M.B.O.U., and 

 EVELYN V. BAXTER, H.M.B.O.U. 



IT is very gratifying to be able to record a considerable 

 increase in the number of observers, who have been kind 

 enough to send schedules and notes for the Report this 

 year. Much credit is due to all those who have, so 

 ungrudgingly, given time and trouble to supply information, 

 and we thank them most heartily and hope they will all 



