206 STUDIES IN BIRD-MIGRATION 



* Fringilla montifringilla, Brambling. — Several 

 individuals of this rare visitor to the Outer Hebrides 

 arrived during the night of 2nd and 3rd October 19 10, 

 and were observed on the stubbles the following day. 

 They evidently passed on at once, for they were not 

 seen afterwards. 



In 191 1 several appeared on the stubbles on 3rd 

 October, and others followed and were seen daily down 

 to the 1 2th, the day of our leaving the island. 



* Chloris chloris, Greenfinch. — A few arrived on 

 loth October 191 1, along with other immigrants. A 

 male and female were observed perched on the ridge 

 of one of the houses in the village. 



Passer MONTANUS, Tree-Sparrow. — Macaulay(p. 160) 

 records " Sparrows " as having been seen by him during 

 his visit in 1758, and he undoubtedly refers to this species, 

 as the House-Sparrow has not yet found its way to the 

 islands. 



Tree-Sparrows are not very numerous, and appear to 

 be confined to the cultivated area and its immediate 

 vicinity, where they breed in the substantial stone 

 boundary walls, and those of the cleits. They were 

 seen in parties during my visits, and were here, as 

 elsewhere in my experience, extremely wary, though 

 entirely immune from any kind of persecution. 



AcANTHis flavirostris, Twite. — First came under 

 the notice of MacGillivray (p. 57) in 1840, and said by 

 the Rev. Neil Mackenzie to be a summer visitor to Hirta. 

 I did not find it by any means numerous, and usually 

 only one or two were seen, but on one occasion about a 

 dozen were observed feeding on the stubbles. No 

 increase or diminution in its numbers was noticed, 

 and it was present when we left on 8th October. In 



