102 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



March brought the first — so I believe — of the spring 

 migrants from the south. 



On the 19th March three species of Limicolce and the 

 Black-headed Wagtail, undoubted migrants from Africa, 

 made their appearance. 



The spring migration had started in earnest, and from 

 the 20th to 27th March there was a regular rush of birds 

 from the south, followed, up to the middle of April, by 

 a steady arrival of fresh species. Each species in turn at 

 first increasing in numbers and then either spreading to 

 breed or passing on northwards. 



Except in the case of one dull-plumaged Wheatear, 

 which I did not obtain and which may have been a young 

 male of the previous year, it was very marked how all the 

 first arrivals were males, the Wheatears particularly being 

 in beautiful fresh-coloured plumage ; the females appeared 

 to arrive on an average some ten days later. 



The following list gives the order of arrival of the 

 species, the dates being those on which the species was 

 first observed. Specimens were obtained of those species 

 marked with an asterisk : — 



19th March. ♦Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla melanocephala). 



*Ruff (Machetes pugnax). 



*Green Sandpiper (Totanns ochropus). 



♦Common Snipe (Gallinago ccelestis). 

 20th March. Swallow (Hirundo rustica). 



Greenshank (?) (Totanns canescens). 

 21st March. *Common Wheatear (Saxicola oznanthe). 



♦Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla). 

 Ringed Plover (JEgialiti.? hiaticola). 

 Redshank (Totanus calidris). 

 22nd March. ♦Black-eared Wheatear (Saxicola albicoliis). 

 23rd March. Common Heron (Ardea cinerea). 

 24th March. ♦Rueppell's Warbler (Sylvia rueppelli). 



♦Black-throated Wheatear (Saxicola melanoleuca). 

 25th March. Common Redstart iRuticilla phcenicurus). 



*Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia subalpina). 

 27th March. *Sedge-Warbler (Acrocephatus phragmitis). 

 Sand-Martin (Cot He riparia). 



♦Little Stint (Tringa minuta). 

 28th March. *Tree-Pipit Anthus arboreus). 

 29th March. ^Nightingale (Daulias luscinia). 



*Whitethroat (Sylvia cinerea). 



♦Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca). 



♦Wryneck (lynx torquilla). 



