GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 3 21 



on April lo, but this must be regarded as an 

 exceptionally early date, for the majority of 

 my correspondents did not meet with it until 

 quite the end of April and beginning of May. 

 On the 15th of June Mr. P. Henderson found 

 two young Nightjars on Tents Muir, Fife, 

 amidst a colony of terns (!), and kept them alive 

 for some time on moths, worms, and pieces of 

 raw meat. 



The Wheatear and Whinchat received an 

 equal share of attention in the fifteen observa- 

 tions upon each which were forwarded. The 

 first-named appeared at Plymouth as early as 

 March 6, but the observer in this instance, Mr. 

 Gatcombe, states that he hardly ever knew it 

 so early before. It was observed, however, on 

 the same day at Feltwell, Norfolk, by Mr. 

 Upcher; and Mr. Rope reports that in 1871 he 

 saw it at Leiston, in Suffolk, on March 2. In 

 1872 in the same neighbourhood it did not 

 arrive until March 18, and was much scarcer 

 than in former years. The calendars enable 

 one to trace it that year as far north as Falkirk, 



Y 



