85 



THE CHIFFCHAFF. 



PJiylloscopus rufus (Bechst.). 



The ChiffehafF arrived in large numbers along the whole 

 of our southern coast. The records from St. Catherine's 

 light were numerous and valuable as marking the arrival 

 of important ' waves ' of immigration ; it is curious that 

 there were no records from any of the other south-coast 

 lights. 



The first straggler was reported from Leicestershire on 

 the 10th of March, and there was evidently a small 

 immigration between the 21st and 23rd, when the species 

 was noted in several of the south-western and southern 

 counties, from Carmarthen in the west to Middlesex in 

 the east. 



On the 25th of March the first great arrival was noted at 

 St. Catherine's, and the birds spread northwards and reached 

 Yorkshire and Lancashire by the end of the month. During 

 the first week of April their numbers slowly increased in 

 the south, but no definite movement or extension of range 

 was noticed. 



The next large immigration occurred on the 10th and 11th 

 of April, and about the same time a general northward 

 movement took place among the birds which had already 

 arrived in the south. Chiffchaflfs still continued to arrive 

 in small numbers during the next fortnight; but no definite 

 'waves' could be traced, though a large immigration was 

 noted wt St. Catherine's on the 22nd. By the end of the 

 month the species was pretty well established throughout 

 the country, though further immigrations were noted on 

 the 29th of April and on the 8th of May. These last were 



