34 THE BIRDS OF KENT 



the south-west face of Shooter's Hill, saw one Kedstart. 

 May 4, 1866, the Kedstart in Greenwich Park had picked 

 up a wife, and comfortable enough they looked." — 

 Mr. Hutchinson. Morris, in his History of British 

 Birds, notes that "it occurs iti Cornwall and Wales, as 

 well as in Yorkshire and Kent." Mr. C. Collingwood, 

 in his notes on the arrival of summer birds, says : " The 

 Redstart appeared at Blackheath on April 13, 1854, and 

 at Greenwich Park." In Birds observed at Bainliam, 

 by Mr. W. H. Power, the Redstart is said to be " an 

 uncertain visitant, occurring some years in numbers, 

 at other times not to be found at all. In April, 1862, 

 these birds were exceedingly common, while this spring 

 (1865) I only observed two, although constantly on the 

 look out for them. They generally make their appear- 

 ance as soon as the cherry orchards are in bloom, and 

 may constantly be heard (when in numbers) till the 

 bloom begins to fall ; they then appear to move inland, 

 a few pairs only remaining to breed." Mr. A. G. Butler, 

 in his Bird's-nesting in Kent, mentions a nest " taken 

 by Mr. H. Bonnie, at Murston." In the Maidstone 

 district the Redstart, Mr. H. Lamb writes (1876), "is 

 one of those birds which has been, no doubt, common, 

 but now I think it is rarely seen, in comparison to most 

 of the warblers. I saw one at Tovil a few years ago."_ 

 Mr. R. J. Balston says : " I have seen it near Boxley 

 late in the fifties." There is a pair of Kentish specimens 

 in the Maidstone Museum, given by Mr. G. Simmons, 

 and Mr. H. Lamb also mentions it at King's AVood. AVe 

 find it also in Hcuidhook of Higham, by the Rev. C. H. 

 Fielding, and at Nonington, W. 0. Hammond ; Dover, 

 C. Gordon ; Elmstone, Rev. AY. B. Delmar ; AA' aimer, 

 Rev. B. x\usten ; Dover, G. Gray ; Folkestone, H. 

 UUyett ; and the Plomley Collection, Dover. 



