31 



THE NIGHTINGALE. 



Daulias luscinia (L.) 



The Nightingale arrived along our southern shore from 

 the Isle of Wight eastwards, and we have no positive 

 proof of its arrival on the east coast, the few scattered 

 lighthouse records from the mouth of the Thames being 

 probably those of birds that had passed through Kent. 



Owing to the comparatively restricted range of this bird 

 in England the records are not very numerous, but it 

 seems clear that it arrived in three main bodies, and after 

 its arrival spread very slowly into its usual breeding- 

 quarters. 



The first immigration, which was not preceded by any 

 stragglers, took place on the 11th and 12th of April, when 

 the bird was recorded from several places along the coast 

 from the Isle of "Wight to Hastings. These birds 

 travelled gradually north, reaching Surrey, Berks, and 

 Essex on the 13th, and Suffolk, Bedford, Cambridge, and 

 Norfolk by the 15th. 



The main body of the second immigration arrived on the 

 west coast of Sussex on April 16th and 16th, and appears 

 to have taken, a more westerly course than the former 

 arrivals, being recorded from Dorset on April 17th, and, 

 gradually working westwards, was noticed in Somerset on 

 the 24th. Thence it appears to have gone northwards, 

 Shrewsbury being reached on the 1st May, and Oswestry 

 on the 4th. 



The third immigration, which was the main movement 

 of this species, occurred on the 28th and 29th April along 

 the same extent of coast as the former immigrations. 

 The individuals of this movement followed on the lines of 

 the first, and spread themselves in a northerly direction 



