Birds. 719 



birds are common in Rom ney- marsh, Tnstead of black guillemot {Una grylle), I 

 ought to have put the ringed guillemot {U. lacrymans), which, in Romney -marsh, 

 is a much more rare bird than the black. The black-headed gull mentioned in my 

 list, as breeding in great abundance in Romney-marsh, I find is Lams ridibundus, and 

 not L. atricilla, as stated there. The following additional information has been af- 

 forded me by Mr. Plomley, about two or three of our British birds which are in most 

 places rare, but which are not uncommon in Romney-marsh. The wood sandpiper 

 {Totanus glareola) is very common in the autumn. It arrives in large flocks, with the 

 the green sandpiper, about the middle of July, and departs early in September. Last 

 autumn seven were brought to Mr. P., which had been killed at one shot. The avocet 

 {Recurvirostra Avocetta) is not uncommon. Formerly they bred in the marsh in great 

 numbers, but are now less frequently met with. Mr. Plomley has four in his collec- 

 tion, and could have procured many more. A nest of young ones was found in 1842, 

 and last summer Mr. P. killed two young birds on the wing. Of the skua {Lestris ca- 

 laractes) Mr. Plomley says, " I seldom ride along the coast, without seeing one or two 

 specimens. They are the most difficult of all the gulls to kill." Several of the glau- 

 cous gulls {Larus glaucus) have been seen this summer in Romney-marsh. Hitherto 

 Mr. Plomley has been unable to procure any of them. The following may be added 

 to the list of Kentish birds. Pomarine skua {Lestris Pomarinus) : not uncommon 

 in Romney-marsh. Lesser black-backed gull {L.fuscus) : very common in Romney- 

 marsh. In the account of the storm-petrel (Zool. 627), there is a slight misprint : — 

 " spenries " should have been spencies : and " by a brother gunner" should have been 

 by a brother of mine. — J. Pemberton Bartlett ; Kingston Rectory ', August 15, 1844. 

 Note on the Arrival of Summer Birds, in the Vicinity of Bar ham Downs. 



Whinchat March 22 Sandpipers (or summer snipes) April 22 



Redstart April 10 Martin May 2 



Willow-wren 11 Greater whitethroat 2 



Blackcap 11 Swift 4 



Cuckoo 13 Spotted flycatcher 7 



Swallow 18 Goatsucker 7 



Nightingale 18 Red- backed shrike 13 



I have not marked the date of the arrivals of yellow wagtails, for this reason, that 

 some few always remain with us throughout the winter, and it is difficult to determine 

 the exact time of the arrival of those which do not winter with us; but I have observ- 

 ed that they get more numerous towards the middle of April, about which time I ima- 

 gine those arrive which have not wintered here. This year, I did not observe any 

 ring ousels at the usual period, which is April ; but there was a male ousel that made 

 his appearance in our garden in June, where he continued for some time, roosting in 

 some thick ivy on the church. I was much in hope that he might have a mate in the 

 neighbourhood, and that they would build on the premises, but in this I was disap- 

 pointed, as I never could discover more than this one bird, whom I watched to roost 

 on the 21st of June, and never saw him afterwards. What could have brought him 

 to the south-east of England in the month of June, I cannot understand. He could 

 scarcely have been on his way westward, where I fancy they breed : and if he was 

 quitting our shores, it is strange that he should have been alone. During h"i sojourn 

 in our garden, which was more than a week, his habits were very shy and retiring, but 

 he occasionally appeared on the lawn, whence, on the slightest alarm, he speedily re- 

 treated into the shrubbery. His manners and attitudes were exactly like those of a 



