1853] Severance from Cambridge. 29 



Rock- Pipits. This is quite confirmatory of the bird being an accidental 

 winter visitor to our southern coast (" Zool." xi. p. 3753). 



Another example of the Black Redstart occurred near Bembridge 

 at the end of March. The day following its discovery, we proceeded to 

 the place where it had first been seen, a large meadow sprinkled over 

 with recently cut timber. We had scarcely made one round of the 

 field when the peculiar " ducking " action of a bird alighting on a trunk 

 attracted our suspicion, and on nearer approach the fiery tail, as the 

 bird flew off, showed we were not mistaken. The bird was restless 

 rather than shy, and kept taking short flights from one heap of faggots 

 to another, occasionally settling on the turf as if in search of insects. 

 On securing it, it proved a middle-aged male, and I am pretty confi- 

 dent that I afterwards saw a second individual at the same spot. Does 

 not the occurrence of these birds, at the time of the spring movement, 

 tend towards explaining the course of their migration, especially siace 

 we hear that they are not very uncommon winter visitors in Devon ? 

 It seems to me quite possible that these birds, when seen by me in the 

 Isle of Wight, were at the time proceeding towards their summer 

 quarters, moving in a direction from west to east along the channel. 

 At all events the mild winter of our south coast would ensure a supply 

 of insect food during the more rigorous winters of the eastern and 

 inland parts of Europe (t.c. p. 3907). 



The latter note is dated (May 3rd, 1853) from Cam- 

 bridge, where he was now keeping his eighth term, and 

 had just enjoyed the privilege of steering the head boat in 

 the Cambridge race. He had also taken his certificate in 

 geology, and had joined the Botanical Society of Edin- 

 burgh, then the best medium for exchange of plants in the 

 kingdom. 



And now came another serious illness, which may 

 almost be said to have brought his Cambridge life to an 

 end. He was taken home to Vectis Lodge for five weeks, 

 and though he made a sufficiently good recovery to return 

 to college in June, and was given credit for the term, his 

 doctor insisted that for some time to come the keeping of 

 another term must be avoided. Hitherto he had actually 

 missed only one (Easter, 1851), though two others had 

 been interrupted by periods of protracted sick leave. Not 

 for a year and a-half from this time did he return for his 

 ninth term of residence, and then again he found himself 

 unable to proceed to the B. A. degree. 



This premature severance from university life and as- 

 pirations was a severe disappointment, and one which he 



