OTE5 



SWALLOW RINGED IN AYRSHIRE AND RECOVERED 



IN THE ORANGE FREE STATE. 

 In August I received a letter from Mr. A. C. Theron dated 

 from "Riet Vallei, District Lindley, O.F.S." stating that a 

 Swallow had been captured bearing a ring with my name 

 and address. As Mr. Theron gave neither the number of 

 the ring nor the date of capture I asked him for these 

 particulars and have just received his reply and the ring 

 itself. The ring is number E937, and Mr. Theron informs 

 me that the bird was captured at Riet Vallei on March 16th, 

 1913, and adds " I do not know when it arrived." This 

 ring was placed on a nestling Swallow {CheUdon r. rustica) 

 by Mr. R. O. Blyth at Skelmorlie, Ayrshire, on July 27th, 

 1912. 



In our last volume (p. 277) an adult Swallow ringed in 

 Staffordshire was recorded as having been captured near 

 Utrecht, Natal, in December, and the present record is 

 from about one hundred and fifty miles west of that place, 

 which is not far in comparison witli the total length of the 

 journey. 



In writing of the Natal record I expressed surprise that 

 a Swallow breeding in the far west of Europe should migrate 

 so far east in South Africa, but now that Dr. Hartert has 

 shown {Nov. ZooL, Vol. XX.) by his observations in the 

 middle of the Sahara that deserts are not necessarily a bar 

 to the passage of migrating birds, as was formerly supposed, 

 it may perhaps be presumed that these Swallows take a more 

 direct line than one would previously have thought possible. 



This second record, taken in conjunction with the first, 

 is extremely valuable, and we are most grateful both to 

 Mr. Bl3rth who ringed the Swallow and to Mr. Theron who 

 reported it. H. P. Witherby. 



MIGRATION NOTES FROM HOLY ISLAND, 

 NORTHUMBERLAND.— AUTUMN 1913. 

 In our last Volume (pp. 202-10) I gave a few notes on the 

 results of observations made at Holy Island in September 

 and October, 1912. This year (1913) I watched for migrants 

 there in the same way, from August 30th to October 3rd. 



I have again to express my gratitude to Mr. Morley 

 Grossman for most kindly extending to me the same privileges 



