1 9 1 8 . J Birds of the Isle of May. 273 



first week of October, though stragglers are recorded up to 

 tlie end of the month. Redstarts sometimes visit the islaud 

 in very large numbers. 



Phoenicurus titys. The Black Redstart. A bird of this 

 species was shot by Mr. Agnew on 24 October, 1884. Since 

 then Black Redstarts have occurred on a good many occa- 

 sions in April, May, October, and November. They occur 

 in ones and twos, and those we have seen have always been 

 very wild and unapproachable. 



*^Erithacus rubecula rubecula. The Continental Red- 

 breast. A bird of double passage ; it has occurred at the 

 end of April and in May, and from 24 September throughout 

 October. We have never seen more than one or two in 

 spring, but large numbers sometimes appear in autumn. 

 Its habits are very different from those of the British Red- 

 breast; we found it wild and skulking, taking covert in 

 holes, under overhanging banks and among stones. The 

 mortality among these migrants is very large ; we have fre- 

 quently picked them up dead after a big arrival, having 

 apparently died of exhaustion or starvation, as they showed 

 no signs of injury. 



Erithacus rubecula melophilus. The British Redbreast. 

 A bird of double passage ; we have several records of it in 

 May, up to the 20th, and it seems probable that some, at 

 any rate, of the Redbreasts recorded in March and April 

 belong to this subspecies. Small arrivals take place in 

 August, these being probably E. r. melophilus, and this race 

 occurs regularly in September. Occasionally Redbreasts 

 visit the island in winter, but we have no proof as to 

 whether they belong to this or the preceding subspecies. 



**Luscinia megarhyncha megarhyncha. The Nightingale. 

 The only authenticated record for Scotland is of a male which 

 arrived on the island on 9 May, 1911. It came with a 

 light south-easterly wind, along with a rush of Warblers 

 and other migrants. 



