NoTES ON THE Birps OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 33 
This table does not include reports of birds which have 
been recovered shortly after being ‘‘ ringed’’ in the 
immediate vicinity : such records are of no value. I have 
already said that no conclusion must be drawn from the above 
returns but it is permissible to note that our emigrants show 
a tendency to move south or south-west. The greatest 
distance travelled by any Dumfriesshire bird, a Whinchat, is 
720 miles, but this journey was probably not completed and 
is as nothing when compared with the distances known to 
have been overtaken by Swallows “‘ ringed ’’ in Great Britain 
and recovered in S. Africa.6® It will be noticed that the 
records of the Swallow and the House Martin illustrate their 
proverbial fidelity in annually returning to their old homes: 
this pleasing trait, as is shown by the table, is not peculiar 
to these birds. It is certainly curious that all the Mallard 
ce ,” 
ringed as nestlings ’’ in the county should have been re- 
covered therein : and instances of unexpected, possibly erratic, 
direction of migration are afforded by the locally ‘‘ ringed ”’ 
Woodcocks which were re-captured at Elgin and at Morpeth, 
by the Woodcock from Wigtownshire which was recovered at 
Moffat, and by the Lapwings which were found locally but 
which originated from East Cheshire and from Yorkshire; 
while the movements of the Black-Headed Gulls are remark- 
able for their diversity of direction. The Lapwing from East 
ce 
Cheshire affords the instance of the longest period elapsing 
between the dates of ‘‘ ringing 
five years and seven months: but perhaps the most remark- 
able record is that of two Woodcocks of the same brood, 
Cay 
” 
and of recovery : namely, 
which were ‘‘ ringed ’’ on the same day near Langholm, and 
which were both shot on the same day, four years and nine 
months afterwards, within three miles of where they were 
originally ‘* ringed.’’ 
“ FLIGHT-NETS.” 
I have quoted (p. Ixxv.) H. A. Macpherson’s statement 
(from p. 466 of his History of Fowling) where he says Irving 
Murray was ‘“‘a Crimean veteran.’’ This, I have since 
69 British Birds Magazine, Vol., XVI., p. 82. 
