93 



THE SEDGE-WARBLER. 



Acrocephalus pJiragmitis (Bechst.). 



The Sedge-Warbler appears to have entered the country'- 

 along the whole o£ the southern coast-line, but the greater 

 portion of birds arrived on the eastern half. It was recorded 

 first in Dorsetshire and Berkshire on the 8th and 13th of April, 

 and by the end of the month was thinly but well distributed 

 over the southern and eastern counties from the Severn to 

 the Wash, while a few had reached Worcester by the 24th 

 and stragglers had arrived in Yorkshire and Cumberland by 

 the 19th and 27th. The records up to the 26th indicated an 

 almost continuous migration on to the whole of the south 

 coast from Cornwall to Kent. 



What was undoubtedly the main arrival of this species took 

 place between the 28th of April and the 6th of May along 

 the eastern half of the south coast. The numbers occurring 

 at St. Catherine's light on the 28th/29th were very large 

 indeed, while on the following night and on May lst/2nd and 

 5th/6th and at Dungeness light (Kent) on May the lst/2nd 

 they were of considerable magnitude. The immediate effect 

 of these large arrivals was an increase in most of the 

 counties already occupied and a gradual extension towards 

 the west and north. It seems probable that a further arrival 

 took place in the west on the 5th of May, as Sedge- Warblers 

 M'ere undoubtedly on passage up the west coast on the 

 following night, while a very general increase was observed 

 throughout Wales during the subsequent days, the Isle of 

 Man, Cumberland, W^estmoreland and Ayrshire being reached 

 on the 8th, 9th and 10th. Another small immigration reached 

 Devonshire on the 8th, leading to a further increase in 



