54 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Greater Wheatears, Redstarts, and Willow-warblers, and on 

 going out we found numbers of these species, as well as 

 Whinchats and Goldcrests, on the island, and Swallows and 

 two Sand-martins passed going north. A Cuckoo and a 

 Corncrake were also seen and heard. On the 8th May 

 (S.S.W.-S.S.E. light) the movement continued and, in 

 addition to the species that had arrived the day before, 

 Whitethroats and Sedge - warblers, Tree -pipits, House- 

 martins, and Lapwings came in. That night there was a 

 big rush to the lantern, which was at its best about 2 A.M. 

 (S.E. light), when numbers of birds were visible in the rays 

 as far as the eye could see. The great majority were 

 Willow-warblers, but there were also both races of Wheat- 

 ears, Whinchats, Redstarts, Goldcrests, and Meadow-pipits. 

 At the first hint of dawn the birds ceased coming to the 

 light, and a very few minutes after, none were visible from 

 the balcony. On sallying forth somewhat later we found the 

 island full of birds ; in addition to enormous numbers of 

 Willow-warblers and smaller quantities of the other species 

 seen at the lantern in the early morning, there were a 

 Nightingale {Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 191 1, p. 132), White- 

 throats, Lesser Whitethroats, a Hedge-accentor, a White 

 Wagtail, two Swifts, and numbers of migratory Rock-pipits ; 

 these last were on passage when the Rock-pipits resident on 

 the island already had eggs. Evidence of the northward 

 movement of this species strikes us as being of interest, as 

 there seem to be few definite Scottish records of the spring 

 passage of the common Rock-pipit. Goldcrests procured in 

 this rush, as well as all the others got during our spring visit, 

 proved to be of the British sub-species. We saw Wrens 

 every day up to this date, when they left, to our regret, as 

 we hoped they might have nested. In the early morning of 

 the nth hardly a bird was to be seen, but between 11 A.M. 

 and mid-day Whinchats, a male Black Redstart, a Green- 

 finch, a Spotted Flycatcher, several Reed Buntings, and two 

 Red-backed Shrikes (S ? ) put in an appearance. Next day 

 more Reed Buntings arrived, and on the 13th (E.N.E. light) 

 a Missel-thrush, many Common W T heatears, Whinchats, Red- 

 starts, Whitethroats, and Willow-warblers, a Blackcap, a 



