41 



THE WHEATEAR. 



Saxicola amantlie (L.). 



The Wheatear arrived along the whole of the south coast, 

 but first and chiefly on the western half. 



Early arrivals were seen in the Isle of Wight on the 22nd 

 of February, in Suffolk on the 6th and 10th of March, and in 

 Shropshire on the 12th. 



The first immigration commenced on the 12th of March, 

 when a few birds landed in Cornwall and Hampshire. 

 Wheatears occurred at one of the Channel Islands lights 

 on that night, and further arrivals took place in Cornwall 

 on the following morning. Two days later the first arrival 

 of Wheatears on the Sussex coast was noted, and this was 

 followed by others in Hampshire and Kent on the 16th 

 and 17th. The number of individuals in each case seems 

 to have been small, and the birds do not seem to have 

 advanced immediately very far into the country. 



The second immigration landed along the whole of the 

 south coast between the 20th and 23rd of March, and seems 

 to have been of rather larger dimensions, as the species was 

 reported for the first time from a good many counties 

 during the following days. The birds arriving in the west 

 apparently passed north rather more rapidly than those on 

 the east ; they reached North Wales on the 22nd, Lincolnshire 

 and Yorkshire two days later, Northumberland on the 25th, 

 and Argyllshire on the 26th. The northward passage of 

 some of the eastern arrivals is probably indicated by a record 

 from one of the Norfolk lights on the 23rd. Between the 

 27th of March and the 6th of April four distinct immigrations 

 arrived at different points on the south coast and appear for 



B 



