215 



ON SOME RESULTS OF RINGING SONG- 

 THRUSHES, BLACKBIRDS, LAPWINGS 

 AND WOODCOCK. 



BY 



H. F. WITHERBY. 



As promised in my report on the British Birds Marking 

 Scheme for 1916 {antea, p. 152) I give below a summary 

 of the records we have so far obtained bearing upon the 

 important question of the movements or otherwise of 

 those species which are usually regarded as partial 

 migrants in the British Islands. I have selected the 

 Song-Thrush, Blackbird, Lapwing and Woodcock as 

 representative species in this category, because of these 

 species we have had a fair number ringed and recovered. 

 I have, however, only considered those birds which were 

 ringed as nestlings and recovered in winter. Those 

 ringed as adults in summer and recovered in winter are 

 too few to make any useful comparison, so they are not 

 included. The analysis of the records of recoveries of 

 these species shows how necessary it is to ring very large 

 numbers of birds, as only a proportion of all the records 

 obtained can be used in working out any particular 

 point. 



It should be noted that severe weather may have 

 (and probably has) a considerable effect on the movements 

 of these species, but the records are insufficient so far 

 to investigate this point properly. Nevertheless it is 

 clear that some individuals of these species migrate and 

 others do not and some of the species are more prone 

 to migrate than others. The factors governing their 

 movements and non-movements may yet be solved by 

 persistence in ringing and by making it widely known 

 that every recorded recovery is important. Meanwhile 

 the following summaries must not be taken as conclusive 

 in any way. They are simply intended as an interim 

 report on this particular point. 



