THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 844.— October. 1911. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE NOCTURNAL HABITS OF 

 THE REDWING. 



By Fredk, J. Stubbs. 



The Redwing (Turdus iliacus) has a curious habit of roaming 

 about at night, and, although this is not unknown, it has yet to 

 become part of ornithological literature, and the present notes 

 may perhaps focus the attention of observers on the pheno- 

 menon. The movements have been referred to by several 

 writers, all of whom have described them as migratory ; but the 

 evidence that I have been able to gather certainly does not 

 justify us in being so confident on this point. 



From the time of the bird's arrival in autumn to the end of 

 December, and afterwards at irregular intervals until April, a 

 large number of Redwings are on the wing each night, and 

 frequentl}'- make journeys of at least several and probably many 

 miles. We never see them, and only know of the passing of 

 the birds by their voices. The note used is the peculiar 

 piercing monosyllable so familiar to every field student of birds, 

 but this is after all such a needle point of sound that it always 

 passes unnoticed unless the observer has had his attention 

 drawn to it, and is interested in the phenomenon. The call 

 does not suggest any of the noisy migrants that lend so great 

 an interest to our autumn nights, and, although coming with 

 startling suddenness from the dark air, it is not associated with 

 any special bird — it is sometimes attributed to a Bat — and slips 

 from the memory in the way of most other isolated sense im- 

 pressions, and is forgotten before the next call is heard. The 



2ool. 4th ser. vol. XV., October, 1911. 2 F 



