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OBSERVATIONS OF AN ATTEMPT OF THE SWALLOW 

 TRIBE TO WINTER IN SOUTH HANTS DURING 



1906-7. 



By Harky Beeston. 



For several years past I have taken a very deep interest in 

 the migration of birds, both during the spring and autumn, and 

 have noted some extremely interesting, yet withal puzzling, 

 observations on the very late departure of the Swallow family in 

 the South of England. 



Havant — the town where I reside — is situated near the sea, 

 the open Channel being only four and a half miles distant, while 

 the waters of Langstone and Emsworth Harbours are within half 

 a mile of the town. 



The locality is well sheltered on the north by the South Downs, 

 and by the Isle of Wight to the south ; the atmosphere is humid, 

 and the climate rather mild, even in winter, so much so that fre- 

 quently gnats and flies are seen hovering over the streams and 

 fields, in abundance, in the middle of winter. During a resi- 

 dence of twelve years in the district I have never seen the 

 streams frozen over. 



I mention these facts in order that the following remarks may 

 be better understood ; they have, in my opinion, a direct bearing 

 on the question of bird migration, and may be able partly to 

 explain why Swallows and Martins arrive so early, and linger so 

 long in the locality. 



It is more of the apparent desire of the birds to remain so 

 abnormally late in the district, than of their early appearance 

 on which I wish to dwell specially, with a view to obtaining some 

 satisfactory solution to the problem. 



The fact is well known that members of the Swallow tribe are 

 reported from various parts of the South of England very late in 

 the season (autumn), but Hampshire seems greatly favoured in 

 this respect, year by year, in the neighbourhood of Havant. In 

 the year 1903 Swallows and Martins (two species) lingered well 

 on into November, and a solitary House-Martin was seen flying 



