1 91 8.] Birds of the Isle of May. 263 



1913 — all with easterly and south-easterly winds. They are 

 confiding little birds ; we heard them utter a soft single 

 note and also a gentle twittering song. 



Emberiza schoeniclus schceniclus. The Reed - Bunting. 

 A bird o£ double passage, occurring regularly in May and 

 again from 24 September to mid-October. 



*Calcariiis lapponicus lapponicus. The Lapland Bunting. 

 An occasional visitor in autumn. The records are : single 

 birds on 1 October 1907 (S.E., light to fresh, fog), 28 

 September 1911 (W., strong), 12 October 1911 (E.), and 

 24 September 1913 (S.S.E., light). The direction of the 

 wind is interestiug and suggestive i£ we consider the range 

 of the species. This Bunting has a loud and peculiar note, 

 which it usually utters when flushed. 



Plectrophenax nivalis. The Snow-Bunting. A common 

 passage migrant and winter visitor. The period of move- 

 ment in spring is March and the first half of April, in 

 autumn the second half of September, October and November, 

 the last month being the time the Snow-Bunting appears in 

 the largest numbers. Comparatively ie\v strike the lantern. 



Alauda arvensis arvensis. The Sky-Lark. It is impossible 

 from data collected at one station only, to disentangle satis- 

 factorily the ver}' complicated movements of this species. 

 It does not breed on the island, but is certainly a bird of 

 double passage there and a common winter visitor under 

 stress of weather on the mainland. It is recorded steadily 

 on migration from February to May ; the earlier dates 

 probably refer to the return of our breeding-birds, the later 

 to winter visitors and passage migrants going overseas to 

 their continental breeding-grounds. In autumn, movement 

 occurs continuously from mid-September to mid-November. 

 It would seem probable that the earlier are our home-bred 

 birds leaving, the later the arrival of winter visitors and 

 passage migrants. Sky-Larks are peculiarly susceptible to 

 light and visit the lantern in large numbers, many being 

 killed. 



