41 



THE RING-OUZEL. 



Turdus torquatus L. 



The records of the arrival of the Ring-Ouzel in the spring 

 of 1908 present the same difficulties encountered in former 

 years, and which we are at present unable to explain. The 

 earliest notes report the birds at their breeding-quarters in 

 Yorkshire between the 23rd and the 27th of March. From 

 that date until the 18th of April, with the exception of a 

 single bird observed in Kent on the 30th of March, the only 

 records were from Devon, Gloucester and Wales. Subse- 

 quently a regular migration seems to have set in, as we find 

 the species recorded from Wiltshire on the 21st, from the 

 Kent lights on the 22nd, from Norfolk on the 24th and 25th, 

 and from the Channel Islands on the 25th and 26th, while 

 on the following day numbers were reported from West- 

 moreland and Cheshire. 



Nests with eggs were reported from Merioneth on May 

 the 2nd, and from Westmoreland, Cheshire and Derby 

 between the 7th and 12th. 



The records seem to show that this species reaches England 

 in two distinct immigrations. The first, arriving by a westerly 

 route in the latter half of March, often reaches the moors of 

 Yorkshire without being observed further south. The second 

 occurs during the last week of April on the eastern part of 

 the south coast, and makes its way due north, many of 

 the birds passing out of the country through Suffolk and 

 Norfolk. 



It is contrary to our custom to refer to the work of 

 previous Reports, as we think it best to avoid comparisons 

 till observations extending over a number of years have been 

 got together. In the present instance, however, we may 



D 



