81 



THE OHTFFCHAFF. 



PlvjUoscopus nifus (Bechsl.). 



The first point of interest with reo;ard to tliis species is 

 the important fact that Chiffchaf^^s were seen at Penzance, 

 Cyornwall, throughout the winter. 



The earher records of this species, which is generally the 

 first of our summer immigrants, were fairlj evenly distributed. 



On March the 18th one was recorded from Leicester ; 

 on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd a few were ol^served in the 

 following counties : — Berks, Bucks, Dorset, Kent, Middle- 

 sex, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, and Wilts ; and on March 

 the 24th a few were seen in Cornwall and individuals in 

 Cheshire, Oxford and Shropshire. On March the 2.5th the 

 species was reported as being " very numerous " in Cornwall, 

 and it may be inferred that an extensive immigration had 

 occurred that morninii. Some of the birds must have ofone 

 north, as on March the 27th individuals were reported for 

 the first time from Glamorgan and Merioneth. 



On March the 28th the records showed that this s])ecies was 

 passing through the Welsh border-counties and had reached 

 Staffordshire and Yorkshire, but the most important records 

 were from Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Worcester. 



The next day (March the 29th) the species was noticed to 

 have decreased in Devonshire, but to have increased in 

 Dorset, Glamorgan, Leicester and Shropshire. On March 

 the 80th there was again an increase in the south-western 

 and southern counties of Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Hants, 

 Sussex and Surrey, and a few were noted from Brecon, 

 Nottingham, Lancashire and Yorkshire. 



The birds in the southern counties passed on northwards, 

 and hj April the 1st Chiftchatfs were generally distributed 

 throughout the midland counties. On the following day 

 they were recorded from Scotland. 



