4712 THE ZooLoGisTt—DECEMBER, 1875. 
stay of martins and swallows, which escaped my notice at the time. 
Mr. Clogg inquires “whether their late stay is dependent on the 
wind, having observed about a dozen martins up to the 2st of 
November, the wind being in the east?” They were doubtless 
late broods; but it was not the “cold wind,” as he seems to sup- 
pose, that had kept them from migrating, but want of power in 
these young birds to take so longa flight. Mr. Clogg had been 
informed, by a person “ taking interest in the subject, that swallows 
do not migrate when the wind is easterly.” Some thirty years’ 
experience has taught me the reverse (which a reference to my 
published notes will show); besides it stands to reason that so long 
as westerly and south-westerly winds prevail in the early days of 
October, there is no necessity for a move, their insect-food being 
still abundant and weather mild. But should the wind veer to the 
east or north-east a general move will be the result, and countless 
numbers of both swallows and martins are then seen from early 
dawn to sun-down winging their way eastward. 
As to swallows or martins being wind-bound, knowing as we do 
their power of wing and velocity of flight, I cannot entertain the 
idea, though I do not say they could make way against a storm. 
What their rate of speed may be when flying against a stiff breeze 
I have never calculated to a nicety, but it cannot be less than a 
mile a minute, at which rate they would, at many points of our 
coast, cross the channel in less than an hour. 
Mr. E. H. Rodd, in his note on the “Spring Migration of British 
Warblers,” in the ‘ Zoologist’ for June, 1874 (S. 8. 4032), inquires 
how it is that “these birds are singing in Italy, and what business 
they have there at this season (April), as it is generally understood 
that at the vernal migration the warblers are drawn from the south 
to the northern countries to breed.” But Mr. Rodd can hardly 
suppose or expect that we northerners are to have all the nightin- 
gales, blackcaps, garden warblers and willow wrens to ourselves ; 
the wonder is that so many reach our shores, seeing that, of a cold 
spring, many of those that do come suffer greatly, and are not 
unfrequently picked up either dead or dying, and even at the 
best have but a short season for nesting and rearing their 
young. Mr. Rodd’s second question is, “whether these birds 
(songsters) in Italy in the spring are migrants from a lower range 
of latitude?” Undoubtedly, or they would be found there at all 
seasons, 
