THE BIRDS OF SCILLY. 243 



1903) on Annett, Samson, St. Helen's, and Great Ganilly. Its 

 numbers do not appear to increase in the winter, but it has been 

 seen several times in the autumn coming in on the north end of 

 Tresco from a north-easterly direction, not in close flocks, but 

 following each other in ones and twos for hours at a time. The 

 Eedwing is more abundant than the Fieldfare in most winters, 

 and arrives earlier, appearing, as a rule, about the second week 

 in October, when the Larks and Starlings make their great 

 movement to the islands. Large flocks of both occasionally pass 

 over without landing, particularly at night, in late autumn and 

 winter. Some of these are certainly going eastward out to sea, 

 but it is not uncommon to see from Bryher or the northern point 

 of Tresco scattered flights of Eedwings flying overhead from the 

 north-west to the south-east, even in the teeth of a south-easterly 

 wind. A single specimen of White's Thrush was shot by George 

 Britton in the Abbey Gardens on Dec. 2nd, 1886. Blackbirds 

 are commoner at Scilly than anywhere else in the county. They 

 breed almost exclusively in the furze-brakes, to which they always 

 fly for shelter. They are remarkably wild and wary, and outside 

 the Abbey Gardens are very rarely heard to sing. There does 

 not seem to be any notable increase in their number in severe 

 weather, though small parties arrive from the mainland with 

 other migrants in autumn. TheEing-Ouzel is a bird of passage, 

 frequently seen on the rocky eminences of St. Mary's, Tresco, 

 and Bryher in autumn. On April 12th, 1903, a flock of over a 

 hundred came in on a south-easterly wind on the north side of 

 Old Town Bay, St. Mary's, and several were seen on April 19th, 

 1904, so that it is probable they are regular spring migrants. 

 The Wheatear breeds sparingly, but is common during autumn 

 migration. On April 9th, 1903, several hundreds arrived in 

 three successive flocks above Old Town, and either remained 

 till the 17th, or else fresh arrivals maintained the numbers up 

 till that date. The Whinchat is an autumn migratory casual 

 that has been noted altogether about a dozen times between the 

 second week in August and the first week in October. It always 

 occurs singly, and is probably often overlooked. The Stone- 

 chat is common in all the furze-brakes and on most of the 

 waste land throughout the summer, but is not so conspicuous in 

 winter. In the first week in May, 1903, there must have been 



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