i()i7- 



Notes. 



103 



NOTES. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Some Migrant Notes. 



The arrival dates of migratory birds may be rather threadbare, and 

 yet hold a perennial interest in every sense. The phenological depart- 

 ment of the Royal Meteorological Society has lately added a migrant 

 table to its other returns, seeking for indications of late or early seasons 

 by the variation in first arrivals. From my own experience, my 

 impression is that the first arrivals are so regular to time that the varia- 

 tion observed is likely to be much more that of the observer's chances 

 than of the bird. (See the regularity of Corncrake below, being more 

 easily observed than others.) And if the front of the arrival wave is 

 so regular the crest or average ought to be still more ?o. 



I have rather special opportunities for observation, and the following 

 notes, though not very extensive, show all but one event to occur within 

 8 days of the average and half of them within 4 days. I insert the 

 Chaffinch date because in his singing he seems an example of utterly 

 ignoring the weather, even heavy frost and snow. I wonder why the 

 Corncrake date is 10 days earlier than the N.H.J, date, N.H.J, means 

 average of 20 years' observations in Great Britain, 1877- 1896, 

 recorded in the Natural Hisiory Journal. 



Fnniskillen, 



J. P. BURKITT. 



