226 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



species mentioned that never more than a solitary example was 

 obtained on the same date from the same light-station ; indeed, 

 for the most part it seems that the birds of the same kind were 

 obtained in different years at different localities. I note par- 

 ticularly that such was the case in regard to the capture of 

 Mr. Barrington's Reed-Warblers. The occurrence in regard to 

 my specimen, however, does not present analogous features, for, 

 in the first place, two specimens were secured at the same time 

 and at the same site ; and this is not all, for I observed three 

 more. Hence, technically, Mr. Moffat is mistaken when he 

 states that my two specimens, added to those two obtained for 

 Mr. Barrington, make four autumnal occurrences. He might 

 either say that the bird has occurred three times, twice as 

 solitary individuals, each on different dates and each at different 

 localities, the third time five examples being seen together at 

 the same locality and synchronously, two of which were collected ; 

 or he might say that, in addition to Mr. Barrington's two separate 

 occurrences, five birds, two of which were collected, were seen 

 together at the same time and at the same place, making seven 

 occurrences. Bearing in mind that I saw the party of Reed- 

 Warblers at 10.30 a.m., and had only come out on the Rock to 

 look for birds an hour or so before, it is quite likely that still 

 more individuals of this species were present earlier, and had 

 passed on. At all events, the evidence afforded by the presence 

 of five birds — perhaps parents and young — does not necessarily 

 point to the species being a straggler. Furthermore, I am not 

 at all sure that I did not see a few Reed-Warblers again this 

 year on the same Rock. About this matter, however, I hope to 

 have more to say another time. 



It is perhaps straining a point to state that the capture of 

 Mr. Barrington's specimens and mine ran parallel, for in the 

 case of the former the birds were killed striking the lantern at 

 night, and in the latter case they were collected on the Rock in 

 broad daylight. Now, as I saw no birds of any kind in the rays 

 of the lantern during the hours of darkness which preceded the 

 capture of my specimens, and as the whole five Reed-Warblers 

 showed no signs of having been to the lantern, it seems quite 

 likely that they were coursing along by daylight at no great 

 distance from the land of their departure when tbey encountered 



