141 



THE TURTLE-DOVE. 



Turtur communis, Selby. 



The arrival of this species seems to have taken place mostly 

 on the south-eastern coast. 



The first record was in Kent on the 9th o£ April ; from 

 that date to the end of the month single birds were observed 

 in Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Surrey and Berkshire, and two 

 in Somerset. Six birds seen flying north on the coast of 

 Suffolk on the 20th, and an increase noted in the same county 

 on the 30th point to further small arrivals on the east 

 coast. 



Between the 5th and 10th of May there were con? iderable 

 arrivals on the stretch of coast bet^-een Essex and Hampshire, 

 while single birds were taken at Hanois light (Guernsey) and 

 St. Catherine's light (Hants) on the 6th/7th and 7th/8th 

 respectively. By the end of the first week of May Turtle- 

 Doves had been reported in mo-t of the counties to the east 

 and south of an arc through Somerset, Worcester, Shrop- 

 shire and Lincoln ; two had penetrated as far as West- 

 moreland on the 3rd and the earlier arrivals in Hampshire 

 were nesting by the 5th. 



The Doves that arrived during the latter part of this 

 immigration seem to have extended slightly further west and 

 north. By that time the greater part of our breeding-stock 

 had evidently arrived, and soon after the birds had settled 

 down to nest. 



Smaller supplementary immigrations seem to have taken 

 place in the south-east on the 14th, 1 5th and 26th and on the 

 south coast on the 19th, 20th, 2Gth of May and in the early 



