34 



THE WHITETHEOAT. 



Sylvia cinerea Bechst. 



The Whitethroat is one of those species that migTates in 

 large numbers, waves of migrants passing over the country 

 at short intervals. With one j)Ossible exception these 

 movements swept across the comitry in a north-westerly 

 direction, the birds arriving on our south-eastern shores. 

 The exception is to be found in what we have called below 

 the fourth immigration, which was first noticed in Somerset 

 and two days after in Hampshire and Dorset, a sequence of 

 dates which usually occurs in species tliat travel in a 

 north-easterly direction, but without further evidence it is 

 inadvisable to lay too much stress on this point. 



The first immigration took place in the south-east from 

 Essex to Hampshire between the 10th and 12th of April 

 and spread northwards into Suffolk, Surrey, Bedfordshire 

 and Berkshire, and westwards into Wilts and Somerset. 

 The more westerly birds then seem to have passed rapidl}' 

 north, reaching Shropshire in good numbers on the l'3tli 

 of Aj)ril, Stafford and Cheshire on the 15th, and Derby on 

 the 17th, very few birds remaining in Hamjishire after the 

 14th. The easterly birds moved north in a similar 

 manner, reaching Notts and Norfolk on the 17th, and 

 Lincoln on the 23rd, while Lancashire and West Yorkshire 

 were reached on the following day by the western contingent. 

 On April 21st and 22nd there was an api^arent increase in 

 Somerset, many being recorded from Winscombe on those 

 days, but the records give no indication of how they 

 arrived there. 



The second immigration lasted several days and took 

 place between the 26th and 29th of April along the same 

 stretch of coast as the first. The birds followed on the 



