444 BRITISH BIRDS. 



couple of skins to my friend Seebohmj who, a day or two afterwards, shot 

 a third specimen in my garden, on the 5 th of October 1876 ; and, finally, 

 a specimen has found its way into the fine collection of Mr. Benzon in 

 Copenhagen. Besides these I have given away two or three examples, 

 but do not at this moment remember to whom ; and four or five were so 

 badly shot that it was absolutely impossible to prepare them. To this 

 number must be added a couple of birds which were mounted by the Heli- 

 golanders, and sold into private collections on the continent. 



" The time of migration of this Warbler commences on Heligoland 

 about the last week of September, and lasts until the end of Octoberj and 

 sometimes extends to the first week of November. Like almost all 

 Siberian birds which visit our island, it is very rarely seen in spring. As 

 certainly as it may be expected in autumn with favourable wind and 

 weather, so certainly search for it in the spring would be vain. During 

 a period of careful observation extending over thirty years, I have only 

 twice met with it at this season — once on April 25th, and once ou 25th 

 May. The former was a male in splendid plumage ; but, unfortunately, it 

 was so much injured with the shot that I was not able to skin it. 



" This bird chooses for its journey fine warm weather, with east or 

 south-east wind. On the island it principally frequents the few willows 

 in the gardens between the houses of the upper land. It hops about in 

 these, as well as in the hawthorn, elder, and smaller shrubs, exactly like the 

 Willow- Warbler and Chiffchaff, during which occupation it does not quiver 

 its wings as the Goldcrests are in the constant habit of doing, even when 

 they do not require to use them in flitting from branch to branch. It is 

 also a less restless bird than the Goldcrests, and does not, like them, hop 

 about seemingly without aim or purpose ; but when it alights on a tree it 

 begins at the lower branches and works away steadily up to the top 

 searching for its insect food. 



" The bird seldom utters its note, generally only when flying away. It 

 sounds like hyiif, a little drawn out and softly spoken, slightly reminding 

 one of the note of a Pipit. The note of the male is louder than that 

 of the female. When surprised or alarmed the note is repeated two or 

 three times in rapid succession and somewhat louder. 



" In all its habits this bird has little aSinity with the Goldcrests with 

 their restless nervous movements, during which their notes are almost 

 constantly repeated. Nor does it resemble them in the loose texture of 

 their plumage, in their well-known style of nest, or colour of eggs, in each 

 of which particulars it is a true Willow-Warbler. I suppose that it was 

 only the small size and the bars across the wings which originally suggested 

 the idea that this bird must be a Regulus. Observations on living birds 

 do not justify such a conclusion in the least. The first birds which were 

 observed here were noted down in my journal as ' Sylvia [Ficedula) 



