298 BRITISH BIRDS. 



Of the nestlings and young in first plumage marked 

 in the summer 1911, five, or 4.8 per cent., turned up during 

 last autumn and winter, practically the same percentage 

 as in the case of the 1910 nestlings. It seems evident 

 that only a small proportion of birds bred here remain 

 in the close neighbourhood, as otherwise I think a larger 

 number would have been recaptured by now. 



Of the Starhngs marked in January and February, 



1911, ninety-seven, or about 17 per cent., have been 

 recovered here more than two months after the date of 

 "ringing," nine during the breeding-season 1911, seven 

 during October and November, and eighty-one during 

 the winter from December 13th, 1911, to February 11th, 



1912. That some, and probably a large number, of the 

 Starlings " ringed " during the winter are migrants, or 

 at any rate wanderers from a distance, the four following 

 records show : — 



C234, marked 1.2.1911, found at Gmingham, Kent, 20.2.1911 

 16078 „ 19.1.1912 „ dead, probably a few days, at 



Loughton, Essex 2.2.1912 



16454 „ 7.2.1912 „ at Reading 29.2.1912 



11852 , 22.1.1911 „ „ Hounslow Heath 2.10.1911 



The first rush of fresh birds to this neighbourhood 

 appeared a day or two before Christmas, 1911, and 

 undoubtedly new birds were constantly arriving during 

 January and February, 1912. The number of birds 

 recaptured which had been marked during January and 

 February, 1911, varied very much on different days. 



On January 8th, 1912, eight out of 28 were marked in January and 



February, 1911. 

 On January 9th, 1912, seven ,,16 ,, ,, ,, ,, 



On January 10th, 1912, nine ., 17 



All these were different birds. However, on January 

 19th, during a snow-storm, out of tAventy-five Starlings 

 caught, only two had last winter's rings on. On account 

 of illness the trap was not set again until the hard frost 

 of January 28th, when thirty-six were captured, seventeen 

 proving to be ' ' ringed ' ' birds ; nine of these were last 

 winter's birds which had not been caught before this 

 winter, five had been marked during November and 



