THE MIGRATIONS OF THE SWALLOW 189 



There are several instances (which can only be 

 regarded as phenomenal) of the appearances of Swallows 

 in February. During March, however, a few annually 

 appear on the south-west coast of England, in Ireland, 

 the south-east of England, sometimes very early in the 

 month, though these latter must be regarded as some- 

 what erratic visitors. There are also a few March 

 records of their appearance in the south-eastern and 

 south-western districts of Scotland. 



It is not till April, however, that the vanguard of 

 the spring hosts reaches our shores, and a careful analysis 

 of dates shows that the average time of its appearance in 

 different parts of our islands is as follows : — For south- 

 western England, the beginning of the first week ; for 

 Ireland, the end of that week; for south-eastern England, 

 early in the second week ; for south-western Scotland, 

 the end of the same ; for south-eastern Scotland, the 

 middle of the third week ; for northern Scotland, the 

 fourth week ; and, lastly, it is not till the second week of 

 May that the few swallows which are natives of Orkney 

 reach their destination. These early immigrants are 

 usually either single birds or pairs. Some ten or twelve 

 days later than the arrival of this advanced guard, the 

 appearance of Swallows in considerable numbers takes 

 place, and they become gradually abundant throughout 

 the kingdom. These initial hosts are followed by others, 

 and so the influx proceeds during the rest of April 

 and the first half of May, and beyond that date in 

 the case of birds of passage en route for northern 

 haunts beyond our shores. In backward seasons, such 

 as that of 1887, when cold and unsettled weather with 

 snow and sleet prevails, the vanguard may be delayed for 

 about a week, but in that season its appearance was 



