Birds. 



441 



songs immediately on their arrival, and their persons are betrayed by their wild fresh 

 notes, which, amidst the dearth of rural sounds, are readily distinguishable; whilst on 

 the contrary, in the autumn their songs are generally hushed for weeks previous to 

 their departure, and the woods and brakes are thick with foliage, and it requires con- 

 siderable vigilance and attention to ascertain whether they still remain, or have de- 

 parted from the neighbourhood. The following list, compiled with considerable care, 

 gives the different dates at which our summer birds departed from Melbourne, Co. 

 Derby, in the autumn of 1843. 



Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) ... Sept. 3 



Grasshopper warbler (S. Locustella). Its 



cricket-like notes ceased Aug. 2, and 



it probably retired shortly afterwards. 



Swift (Hirundo Apus) Aug. 10 



Whin chat (Sty/via Rubetra) Sept. 10 



Wheatear (S. CEnanthe) 10 



White throat (S. cinerea) 10 



Lesser whitethroat (S. sylviella). 12 



Landrail (Gallinula Crex) 12 



Sedge warbler (Sylvia Salicaria) 12 



Reed warbler (S. arundinacea)... 14 



Ray's wagtail (Motacilla Rayii) 18 



Sand martin (Hirundo riparia).. 20 



Grey wagtail (M. Boarula) 18 



I observed a solitary bird of this spe- 



cies so late as October 20 ; but such an 

 incident is of rare occurrence. 

 Redstart (Sylvia Phcenicurus) ... Aug. 18 



Wood warbler (S. sylvicola) Sept. 18 



Willow warbler (S. Trochilus)... 18 



C hi ff-chaff ( S. Hippolais) 26 



Chiff-chaffs, which usually affect large 

 woods during the vernal and summer 

 months, are frequently seen and heard 

 in the open country towards August 

 and September. 



Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Oct. 15 



Martin (H.urbica) 15 



A slight fall of snow took place on the 

 morning of Oct. 17, which vanished 

 after sunrise. Wind S.E. 



— J. J. Briggs ; Melbourne, 



Notes on the arrival of some of the Winter Birds of Passage at Yarmouth in 1843. 



Dunlin, birds of the year, about July 19 



25 



, 22 



Jack snipe., Sept. 17 



Smew, teal 17 & 18 



Golden-crested Regulus, about 



Wigeon 



Woodcock 



Short-eared owl 



Skylark Oct. 



Hooded crow 



Snow bunting 



20 

 26 

 28 

 30 

 14 

 19 

 25 



„ old birds 



Common sandpiper 



Curlew, pigmy curlew, oyster- 

 catcher 24 



Green sandpiper 25 



Little stint Augt. 5 



Sanderling Sept. 4 



Black-tailed godwit 11 



Greenshank 16 



The golden-crested Regulus arrives here every autumn about this time. I have seen 

 several within the last few days, which were so fatigued as to suffer themselves to be 

 taken by the hand, but I am not aware that, like the skylarks, their arrival has been 

 actually witnessed. The morning of October 14th was the first on which the migra- 

 tion of the skylarks was observed. I repeatedly noticed their arrival from that time 

 till the 22nd. They flew generally in flocks of from ten to twenty, although I several 

 times saw them in smaller numbers, and on one occasion only a single individual. I 

 was also told that flocks of forty or fifty had been seen to arrive, and that numbers of 

 them had been put up on the beach, where they had been roosting, just before day- 

 light. They appeared at all times of the day, flying much higher in calm than in 

 stormy weather. The stubbles in the neighbourhood are covered with them. The fol- 



