OTE5 



A MARKED STARLING REPORTED FROM 

 FINLAND. 



The following record is of very considerable interest in con- 

 nexion with my note on marked Starlings in Vol. V., p. 297 : — 



Starling [Sturnus v. vulgaris). — B.B., No. 16018, marked 

 at Bradfield, Berkshire, on January 31st, 1912. Found 

 dead on the snow on April 17th, 1912, at Masaby (parish 

 Kyrkslatt) 23 km. west from Helsingfors, Finland. Reported 

 by Professor J. A. Palmen, Helsingfors. 



The bird had travelled just under 1,200 miles in an E.N.E 

 direction. It is almost certain that other Starlings marked 

 at the same time were winter visitors from a considerable 

 distance, and it is very possible that some of the seventy 

 birds which have been noticed at Bradfield for two winters 

 may have travelled with this bird. It was " ringed " during 

 the hard frost which commenced on January 28th, on which 

 date thirty-three birds were caught, of which nine had been 

 marked between January 12th and February 6th, 1911. On 

 January 30th eight of these birds " ringed" in 1911 were re- 

 captured, and on January 31st, one ; but only twenty-three 

 Starlings were ringed on the latter date as compared Avith 

 sixty-nine on January 30th and one hundred and sixty-three 

 on February 3rd, when six " two -winter " birds were noted. 



The following recent records, however, prove that some of 

 these birds were residents from the near neighbourhood, 

 Englefield being two, and Bucklebury three miles away. 

 16,189 marked 29.1.1912 killed Bucklebury, about 15.4.12. 

 16,160 „ 3.2.1912 „ Englefield* 1.5.12. 

 11,898 „ 1.2.1911 „ „ 27.4.12. 



14,920 „ 10.10.1911 „ Bradfield, 25.3.12. 

 14,902 „ 15.10.1911 Found freshlv killed in a Ta^^Tiy 

 Owl's larder, Bradfield, about 4.5.1912. 



It will be noticed that the only three Starlings so far cap- 

 tured away from the neighbourhood after being " ringed" at 

 Bradfield, had travelled in an easterly direction, viz. to Kent, 

 Essex, and Finland. Norman H. Joy. 



RETURN OF A MARKED SWALLOW TO ITS 



BREEDING-PLACE. 



On May 6th, 1911, 1 marked an adult male(?) Swallow [Chelidon 



r. rustica) with ring No. B827 at Cheadle, Staffordshire. I 



again caught the bird on May 7th, 1912, at the same place. 



