i8 The Irish Naturalist. [Jan., 



There is also a return movement of Thrushes in mild weather. 

 In March there is a considerable return of partial migrants, 

 and of a few summer birds ; but in April the latter mostly 

 return. 



It is remarkable, in connection with the arrival of these 

 earliest immigrants, that the great majorit}^ of them are 

 recorded first at the south-west coasts of England and Ire- 

 land. Thus in March, out of 94 observations, 71, or 75 per 

 cent., were made in the south-west. In April, out of 157 

 first records of the arrivals of summer visitors, 115, or nearly 

 74 per cent., are recorded from the south-west coast and 

 Ireland. These percentages should be higher, for it must be 

 explained that there were no spring data for Ireland in 

 1 8 So and 1881, nor for the west of England in 1883, while the 

 east coast has been credited, in the statistics quoted, with the 

 observations made during all the years of the enquiry. It 

 thus appears that spring migrants, not unnaturally, appear 

 first in the warmest parts of our islands. 



In May the immigration of summer birds continues. There 

 are arrivals of Wheatears, Warblers, Swallows, Sandpipers, and 

 Plovers up to the end of the month. These are undoubtedly 

 on their way to summer homes further north than the British 

 Isles, for our own birds of the same species are then bus^^with 

 nesting operations. During June, especially in the first half 

 of the month, several species w^hose breeding range extends to 

 the Polar regions appear in considerable numbers on our 

 shores. The chief among these are the Grey Plover and Knot ; 

 less numerous are the Snow Bunting, Wigeon, Barnacle Goose, 

 Grey Geese, Swans, the Dotterel, Turnstone, Sanderling.. Ruff, 

 Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, and a few Great Northern 

 Divers. 



In connection with the spring immigration, the observations 

 favour the theor}^ that the earliest arrivals are British-breeding 

 birds. This is borne out by the well-known fact that our 

 summer birds appear in their breeding-haunts in our islands 

 immediately after their first appearance on our coasts. 

 Further corroboration is found in the fact that summer birds 

 arrive in Britain earlier than in Heligoland, where nearly all 

 the species observed are en route for more northern lands than 

 ours. 



