19S



Stray Notes.



bought to keep it company, which it at once pounced on and

kept under water, so maltreating the poor little thing that it

died a day or two afterwards.


Now our friend reigns in solitary grandeur and will pro¬

bably be allowed to remain so for the future.


W. M. G. Ward.



STRAY NOTES.



With the arrival of the month of April the most interesting and

delightful time of the year, alike for the Aviculturist and the lover of

nature in general, may be said to commence. Those who have outdoor

aviaries which have been left uninhabited during the winter months should

lose no time in getting them in order for the breeding season. It is as well

however not to be in too great a hurry to transfer delicate birds from the

shelter and warmth of a sitting room to the outdoor aviary. One warm day

does not make a summer, and however genial the first part of April may

happen to be, snow and f.iost may be experienced at the latter end, or even

in May, and cutting winds can be relied upon to give 11s a fair share of

their attention. A word of warning may therefore not be out of place.


In December 1904 a Sub-Committee of the British Ornithologists’

Club was appointed for the purpose of collecting and collating evidence

regarding the immigration of our common migratory birds. .Schedules

were drawn up, printed and circulated to the keepers of light-houses and

light-ships round the south and east coasts, and to a very large number of

competent observers throughout the country. During the spring of last

year these schedules were filled in and sent up to head-quarters weekly, and

the result has been eminently satisfactory, over 15,000 records being

received. The Committee’s Report has now been published as a special

volume of the Bulletin of the B. O. C., and will be of the greatest value to

those who are interested in the fascinating and difficult subject of bird

migration. A map of England and Wales is given for each of the thirty

species scheduled, and by reference to these the dates and places of arrival

of the species, aud their subsequent movement through the country may

be seen at a glance. The Report is published at six shillings, and may be

obtained from Messrs. Witlierby and Co., 326, High Holborn, or Mr. R. H.

Porter, 7, Princes Street, Cavendish Square.


As we have said, the result of the investigation into the Spring

Migration is eminently satisfactory so far as it goes, but it is not wise to

draw conclusions from the records of one season only; these records in¬

crease in value as they are compared with those of subsequent years, and



