MIGRATORY BIRDS OBSERVED AT FAIR ISLE 103 



which this bird is known to have crossed the Border was on 

 29th November 191 1, when a male was captured near Edinburgh 

 (see Scottish Naturalist^ 19 12, p. ii). 



Ortolan Bunting, Emberiza hortulana. — One of the ornithic 

 features of the Fair Isle spring was the extraordinary abundance of 

 this species on the newly sown land on 8th May — a terrible day of 

 rain, with an E.N.E. strong breeze and thick atmosphere. Under 

 these trying conditions for bird work, the Duchess of Bedford 

 informs me that she saw a few Ortolans scattered over every croft 

 visited on her rounds, and remarks that she can only imagine that 

 had it been clear and calm enough to look carefully for them, there 

 must have been a great number of these birds on the island. Others 

 were seen on several following days. 



Great Titmouse, Parus 7>iaJor.— One of the most interesting 

 incidents in bird life at Fair Isle during the past year was the 

 appearance of a number of Continental visitors of this species, and 

 the fact that some of them passed the winter on the island. The 

 first to come under notice was observed on 27th October, and was 

 followed by others, it is thought about a dozen in all. Some 

 of these passed on, but two remained the entire winter, and were 

 seen down to 23rd January 191 5, and may have remained later, 

 for Wilson left the island a few days after. During their prolonged 

 sojourn, these unusual winter guests frequented the corn-stacks and 

 the cabbage-plots. The only previous record for Ya\x Isle relates to 

 a single bird obtained on 17th November 1910, which also belonged 

 to the thin-billed, bright-coloured Continental race, Pants major 

 major. 



* Eastern Short-toed Lark, Calandrella bracJiydactyla 

 longipennis. — As this bird has not hitherto been detected as a 

 visitor to the British Isles, and possibly not to Europe, it has 

 been thought best to publish the details of its occurrence and a 

 description of the bird in a separate contribution, which appears 

 in the present number of this magazine. 



Shore-lark, Otocorys alpestris. — The emigratory movements 

 of the Shore-lark from its winter retreats to its summer haunts in 

 the north were indicated by its occurrence at Fair Isle on 7th May. 

 It reappeared on its way south on 23rd October, and again on 

 2nd November. 



Barred Warbler, Sylvia nisoria. — The numbers of this bird 

 which visited the island in the autumn, and the frequency of 

 their occurrence, were features of the fall migration. It appeared 

 on 22nd August, and the passage continued at intervals until 21st 



