THE BLACKCAP. 



Sylvia atricapilla (L.). 



Blackcaps appear to have arrived along the whole of the 

 southern coast from Cornwall (one record only) to Essex; 

 but the bulk of the land- and the whole of the lighthouse- 

 records for that coast were from Hampshire. 



The earliest arrivals were reported from Gloucestershire 

 on the 10th, 14th and 21st of March, and these were followed 

 by a pair in Devonshire on the 28th. 



Between the 3rd and the 26th of April they appear to have 

 straggled into the country singly, or at any rate in very small 

 parties, for by far the greater proportion of the records were 

 of sinole birds from various counties across the whole of 

 England south of a line drawn from the Wash to Anglesea. 



The only lighthouse-records received during that period 

 were from St. Catherine's on the 10th and 11th of April, 

 and between the 26th and 27th (11 P.M.-3.30 A.M.), when a 

 Few were seen and one was killed. The first immigratory 

 movement of any magnitude took place at the same light 

 between the 28th and 29th, and was also noticed in SomersCt- 

 shire on the same date. 



This movement continued until the end of the month and 

 an increase was noted on the 1st of May in Dorset, Sussex, 

 Kent, Surrey, Cheshire and Yorkshire. 



Another influx of Blackcaps was recorded at St. Catherine's 

 on the nights of the 4th, 5th, and 8th. This immigration 

 was Eollowed by an increase in various counties, notably in 

 Glamorgan, Bedford ami Cambridge, and from that date 

 onwards the species appeared to be generally distributed. 

 The last lighthouse-record was that of a single bird killed at 

 Bardsey (Carnarvon) on the 23rd of Mav. 



v -2 



