14 NOVITATES ZOOLOQICAE XXIV. 1917. 



migration-route of birds pushing up towards the south-west sea-board of England, 

 and it requires but little extension of a north-west flight for a bird to reach a 

 rock off the south-east corner of Ireland — e.g. Tuskar — instead of the coast of 

 Devonshire or Cornwall. In support of this argument it should be remembered 

 that the Wheatear as a class is a strong and very energetic bird, endowed with 

 powerful, well sustained, and rapid flight.* Again, the geographical distribution 

 of the breeding-grounds of the Common Wheatear, in -nhich may be included 

 the Greenland form, is of very considerable extent, and for aught we know 

 the breeding-ground of the Western Black-eared Wheatear may be wider than 

 we are aware of, nor should the question of the possibility of its breeding-range 

 becoming more extensive of later years be altogether neglected. Not that I wish 

 to imply that the bird resorts or has resorted to the south of Ireland to breed , 

 we have no evidence whatever to substantiate this view. For the present 

 I am content to regard the visit of the bird to Tuskar as representing a pro- 

 longation in flight of one of the numbers which make for the southern sea-board 

 of England, where the status of such birds requires close scrutiny. And indeed 

 it seems particularly interesting at this juncture to bear in mind that not one 

 of the eight birds taken in the South of England met its death at a light-station 

 by striking the lantern, or such like accident, f 



In other words there is no evidence to show that fog was encountered, and 

 that any of these birds, becoming bewildered during their nocturnal movements 

 by the glare of the lantern, deviated from or were delayed on their accustomed 

 route. Indeed the question of the possibility of these eight Black-eared Wheat- 

 ears arriving in the south of England, not as vagrants, waifs, refugees, or mere 

 accidental visitors, but as genuine summer-visitors, prepared to breed if suitable 

 nesting-sites presented themselves, must not be summarily dismissed. Wheat- 

 ears as a class are not particularly fastidious in their choice of nesting-sites, 

 provided they can secure cover in some open upland country among stone-walls, 

 burrows, crevices, etc. However, it is rather curious that these eight birds were 

 all males J : possibly, however, they, or some of them, may have had their 

 consorts with them, but the latter being less showy were overlooked. 



On the other hand, supposing the view be adopted that these Wheatears 

 were accidental visitors which overshot their breeding migration-range, then 

 possibly the males, stronger, more ardent, and energetic, might more readily go 

 astray. The weight of this hypothesis becomes much reduced on closer study, 

 for accidental visitors are frequently represented by females as well as by males, 

 for example the Dartford, Aquatic, and Icterine ^^'arblers, taken recently on 

 Tuskar Rock, were females, and many others might be cited. But whatever 

 may have been the vis a iergo which propelled these Wheatears to travel beyond 

 their normal limit and to reach the southern shores of England, I think it is 



* On rock light-stations oH the coast of Ireland, Wheatears are harassed and preyed upon 

 to a large extent by Merlin Falcons. I have witnessed over and over again the .speed and adroitness 

 in turning and the endurance on the \ring displayed by the Wheatear when closely pursued, and 

 many times I have perceived the Falcon relinquish the chase. 



t The one other bird which completes the number at present known to have been taken in 

 England, namely the Lancashire bird, did not strike a lantern on the coast either, but it is more 

 expedient not to include it in the text with the south of England birds seeing that its visit was more 

 likely accidental than other\\ise. 



X Moreover, the vagrants to Tuskar, Lancashire, and Fair Isle, were males, the only female 

 being the bird which wandered to the outlying island of St. Kilda. In short, eleven of the twelve 

 British-taken Western Black-oared Wheatears proved to be of the male sex. 



