256 BRITISH BIRDS. 



has marked as being as a rule comparatively barren of 

 migrant birds. The morning of the 4th was cloudy ; at 9 a.m. 

 the clouds darkened ; at 10 it was raining, and the rain con- 

 tinued throughout the day. Finding themselves enveloped 

 in clouds and unable to see their way — so it seems best to 

 explain what happened — a number of birds came down from 

 the high level at which they had been travelling northward 

 and flew low over the sea. From 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. small 

 flocks of Swallows appeared at intervals, and I must in all 

 have seen over 150. I saw besides about 20 House-Martins, 

 two or three Sand-Martins, one Swift, a dozen Kestrels, two 

 Hoopoes, four Common Herons, four Nightingales, one Black- 

 throated Wheatear, one Common Redstart. Besides these, a 

 good number of small birds passed not far from the ship, yet 

 not near enough for me to identify them. About 5.30 p.m. 

 a flock of over 20 Herons appeared ; some of them circled 

 round the ship all night, and when the sun rose made for the 

 north ; some of the Swallows accompanied us for miles, flying 

 round the boat, thus going a very long distance out of their 

 way. A few passed the night on board, some travelling in 

 the 1st class saloon, some in the 2nd. The next morning was 

 fine and only a few Blue-headed Wagtails and Swallows 

 turned up. 



The number of birds seems to me to show that we were 

 crossing what was at the time a real migration zone, not a 

 comparatively vacant interspace. But I have no observations 

 to supplement this, and it would be foolish to argue that an 

 isolated case can in any way invalidate Commander Lymes' 

 conclusions, based as they are on a number of observations. 

 But it is remarkable that my fragmentary evidence is 

 supported by what Dr. C. B. Ticehurst reports in the last 

 number of British Birds. 



F. W. Headley 

 RARE BIRDS IN SUSSEX. 

 I. 

 Black-headed Wagtail. 



A fine male Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava melano- 

 cephala) was shot at Winchelsea. Sussex, on May 23rd, 1909. 

 It was examined in the flesh by Mr. W. Ruskin Butterfield. 



Red-throated Pipit. 

 A female Red-throated P\]iit*(A?ithus cervinus) was shot near 

 Rye, Sussex, on April 29th, 1909. It was examined by me 

 in the flesh on the following day. 

 *See "A History of the Birds of Kent," by N. F. Ticehurst, p. 104. 



