362 BRITISH BIRDS. 



addition, calm and foggy — conditions which are well known 

 as being unfavourable to the birds, in that they more or less- 

 lose their sense of direction and are attracted by strong lights,, 

 such as the towns mentioned would afford. The " pheno- 

 menon " is, therefore, exactly comparable to what happens, 

 at every season at the light-stations round our coasts on what 

 are sometimes termed " good migration nights," i.e., good 

 from the observer's standpoint, but bad from that of the birds' 

 Of course, it is but seldom that such a conjunction of circum- 

 stances happens in an inland locality, but it did so happen^ 

 again a few nights later, as related by Mr. R. 0. Mathews in 

 the Field for April 15th. In the early morning of April 3rd.. 

 Curlews were heard fl^'ing north continually for several hours 

 over Marlborough (Wilts.) ; some species of the larger Gulls- 

 were also heard flying in a more easterly direction, and many 

 other species were also heard passing over. Many also came 

 to grief as in Ireland, those found dead during the daj" being 

 Redwings, Thrushes, Starlings, Blackbirds, Snipe, a Woodcock 

 and a Common Scoter. The occurrence of the latter so far 

 inland is, of course, unusual, and may be only accidental, but 

 the others are all well-known migrants at this period, though 

 there is no reason, or even need, to suppose, as the writer 

 suggests, that the Marlborough and Irish birds were the same 

 individuals. AVithout going into details, it may be worth 

 while to add that the returns sent in by the keepers of the west 

 coast lights to the Migration Committee of the B.O.C. fully 

 corroborate what has been said above, that these " pheno 

 mena " are merely part of the normal spring-migration of the 

 species concerned, but brought forcibly before the notice of 

 even the most unobservant by a fortuitous combination of 

 circumstances. N. F. Ticehurst^ 



BLYTH'S REED-W'ARBLER AT FAIR ISLE. 



A New British Bird. 



Yet another bird is added to the British hst by the indcfatig" 

 able workers on Fair Isle. Mr. W. Eagle Clarke records (Ann 

 Scot. Nat. Hist., 1911, p. 70) that a bird somewhat like a 

 Garden- W^arbler was observed in some turnips on Fair Isle 

 by the Duchess of Bedford in September, 1910, but only a 

 momentary view of it could be obtained. On the day following 

 (no exact date is mentioned) the bird was found in the same 

 place, and obtained by Mr. Clarke's observer. Mr. Clarke and 

 Dr. C. B. Ticehurst identified it as Blyth's Reed-Warbler, 

 {Acrocepkalus dumetorum) and this has been confirmed by 

 Dr. E. Hartert. 



