Birds, 355 



30, 1 saw a feu^ martins, which prohably had nests about the rocks there : * and two 

 days since (Sept. 13) I saw a few more (six or eight) on the same coast, about six or 

 seven miles south of St. Abb's, which I ascertained had nests, with young. With 

 these two exceptions, I have hardly seen a martin for four or five weeks. Up to the 

 middle of August I used to see great numbers of them whenever I went out, and es- 

 pecially when walking by the river. It is the same with the sand-martin : they were 

 almost as numerous as the martins : and at one spot on the north bank of the Tweed 

 about a quarter of a mile below " Norham's castled steep," where a sand-bank above 

 a quarry is perforated by their holes to the number of some hundreds, they really 

 swaiToed : but when I was there ten days since, there was not one to be seen, nor had 

 I seen any at my previous visits to the Tweed for three weeks or more before that. 

 What then has become of the great majority of the martins, and (as it seems) of all 

 the sand-martins ? Whither have they gone — and for what purpose ? The swallows 

 are still remaining, and in undiminished numbers, and seem to find abundance of food. 

 The weather has been splendid, and the season unusually warm of late. In fact every 

 thing would seem to have been adapted to induce them to prolong their stay. — Id. 



Note on dates of migration at Kelvedon, Essex. For some years past I have been in 

 the habit of noticing the period of arrival of a few of the commoner migratory birds 

 and have found the time to vary but very little. The swallow {Hirundo rustica), for 

 instance, has generally appeared here from about the 15th to the 20th of April ; and 

 the martin {Hirundo urbica) a few days later. The cuckoo, the wryneck and the nio-ht- 

 ingale generally within a few days of the same time. Fieldfares were still remaining 

 here this year almost till the end of May. — John Atkinson ; Kelvedon. 



Note on a singular locality for a RedstarVs Nest. In the spring of 1841, I noticed 

 that when I went to a particular part of my garden, a male redstart {Motacilla Phce- 

 nicurus) always appeared much distressed, which convinced me that its nest was close 

 at hand, but I could not find it. One day, having occasion for a common flower-pot, 

 not of a very large size, I took one which had been left inverted on a narrow path be- 

 tween two sea-kale beds. On lifting it up, I discovered a nest with five eggs, placed 

 on the ground. I carefully replaced the pot over the nest, inclining it a little towards 

 the south, so that when the sun was shining I could just discern the eggs through the 

 hole at the bottom (now from its inverted position the top) of the pot. On passing it 

 soon after, I found the hen bird was on the nest ; and she succeeded in hatching and 

 bringing up her brood ; paying no regard to my looking down upon her as I passed 

 by, if I did not stop. — Id. 



Note on the Black Redstart. A correspondent (Zool. 101) enquires whether Phoe- 

 nicura Tithys retains its black garb during the winter, as examples which he met with 

 in Cornwall at that season were without it. Those specimens were, no doubt, in im- 

 mature plumage. An adult male was shot a few winters ago, near Alverstoke, Hants 

 and is now in my possession : another was also shot by the Rev. C. A. Bury, last win- 

 ter, on the 2nd of December, above the cliff's at Bonchurch. Both these specimens 

 have the throat, neck and breast black ; but while the throat is very glossy, the fea- 

 thers on the sides of the neck and breast are slightly interrupted with slate-colour. 

 The specimen obtained at Brighton iu the month of March (Zool. 188), is described 



* See Mr. Yarrell's account of the martin ; but for " Northumberland " after the 

 mention of St. Abb's head, read " Berwickshire." 



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