81 



THE CHIFFCHAFF. 

 Phylloscopus rufus (Bechst.). 



This species entered the country along the whole o£ the south 

 coast. The first arrival was reported in Somerset on the 5th 

 of March, and two were killed at St. Catherine's light, Isle 

 o£ Wight, on the night o£ the 6th/7th. Up to the end o£ the 

 month the records related to stragglers observed in most o£ 

 the counties as £ar north as Carnarvon, Denbigh, Cheshire, 

 Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire, whilst a single bird had 

 reached Ayrshire. In Devonshire and Hampshire increased 

 numbers were reported on the 25th, 27th and 28th, and also 

 in Cornwall on the 30th, but the birds in the latter county 

 had passed on by the following day. 



The first great arrival of immigrants commenced on the 

 3rd o£ April. Large numbers were seen at St. Catherine's 

 on the night of the 3rd/4th, several were killed at Anvil 

 Point light (Dorset), and a good many were seen at Lundy 

 Island (North) light on the 6th/7th. 



The next large wave o£ immigration occurred on the nights 

 o£ the 9th/10th, lOth/llth and llth/12th of April, when 

 large numbers were again seen at St. Catherine's, while the 

 occurrence o£ a good many at Bardsey light on the last- 

 named date indicated the northward passage o£ some o£ these 

 migrants. 



The number of ChiffchafEs throughout the country had 

 greatly increased by the middle of the month, but there was 

 nardiy any extension o£ their range northward. A single bird 

 was recorded in Yorkshire on the 2nd, and a slight increase 

 was noted there on the 15th ; Lancashire was reached on the 

 16th, and two days later the usual number of birds were 



