63 



THE WHITETHROAT. 



Sylvia cinei^ea, Bechst. 



This species appears to have entered the country along the 

 whole o£ the south coast : it arrived first in the west and 

 subsequently chiefly from Hampshire eastward. 



The earliest arrival was recorded in Derbyshire on the 

 7th of April. From that date up to the middle of the month 

 stragglers were reported in a few counties ranging from 

 Devonshire to Denbigh. Subsequently the numbers gradually 

 increased, till by the end of April the species was fairly 

 distributed over the whole country and had reached Cumber- 

 land on the 22nd, and Northumberland on the 25th. The 

 species was not, however, recorded from the Clyde area until 

 the 7th of May. 



Up to the 25th of April the only record from the lights 

 included a single Whitethroat killed at St. Catherine's light. 

 Isle of Wight, on the night of the llth/12th of April. The 

 first great wave of immigration took place between the 29th 

 of April and the 6th of May, and great numbers were seen 

 every night from the 1st to the 6th, at the Hampshire, Kent 

 and Essex lights. The second marked influx of Whitethroats 

 occurred between the 17th and 20th of May, but the numbers 

 observed were much smaller. Of three lighthouse-reports 

 received, two were from St. Catherine's on the nights of the 

 17th/18th and the 18th/19th, and the third from the Smalls 

 light (Pembroke), where several were seen on the night of 

 the 19th/20th. After that no migratory movement of any 

 consequence was recorded in May. On the night of the 

 2nd/3rd June a good many birds were seen at Bardsey light 

 (Carnarvon). 



Whitethroats were nestino- in Devonshire on the 22nd of 

 April, in Somerset on the 1st of May, and in Berkshire on 



