2 86 The Scottish Naturalist. 



Among our regular winter visitants to the county, we have the 

 Red Wing, Fieldfare, Bramble Finch, Snow-Bunting, Jack Snipe, 

 Water-rail, Wild Geese, and several other species of water-fowl. 

 The two first arrive earlier or later in September and October, 

 according to the state of the weather. The Jack Snipe is gener- 

 ally regular, coming almost to a day, about the 5 th of October. 

 Last year it was somewhat earlier, and so was the Water-rail, the 

 former on the 29th of September, when there was a considerable 

 arrival both of it and the Common Snipe, which, however, must 

 be considered among the accessory migrants. The first Water- 

 rail noticed last year was on the ist of October; it is, however, 

 the middle or the end of the month before they generally arrive. 

 The Wild Geese are also very regular, both as to their arrival 

 and departure, coming the first week of October, and leaving us 

 the third week of April. 



The less widely spread of those mentioned in the above list of 

 summer birds are the Garden-warbler and Tree-pipit. This list, 

 however, must not be taken as the total of our summer visitants 

 round Perth, for we have the Stone-chat, Meadow-pipit, Pied 

 and Grey Wagtails ; but these are all paiiial or local migrants, re- 

 maining all the year in this country, merely shifting their quarters 

 to other parts, either to the southern counties or to our sea-shores, 

 returning again regularly in spring. Both our Wagtails, however, 

 occasionally stay with us the whole winter, and at other times 

 disappear. This winter I have constantly seen both species up 

 to this present date (7th February). Under this head oi partial 

 or local migration the Song Thrush must be classed, which, 

 though essentially migratory on the Continent, is with us only 

 partially so, betaking itself in autumn to the open fields, especi- 

 ally turnips, when they are joined by many foreigners, which 

 arrive in great numbers from Norway and Sweden, all leaving us 

 in the beginning of October, our native birds returning to us 

 again about the first or second week of February. This very fact 

 is remarked upon by Professor Newton, as observed by him in 

 Norfolk (' Ibis,' i860, p. 84). In Torquay, South Devon, I found 

 the Thrush abundant during the whole of the winter months, 

 and at that season even in full song. Our more local mi- 

 grants consist chiefly of the Waders, such as the Oyster-catcher, 

 Curlew, Redshank, and Ringed Dottrel, — all these arriving regu- 

 larly in the spring on their way to the hills and uplands for 

 breeding purposes. The Oyster-catcher is very regular in its 

 arrival, about the beginning of March, soon after which, in all 



