244 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



about thirty pairs on St. Helen's, all evidently breeding. The 

 Eedstart is observed every year in autumn in pairs or in small 

 flocks, usually perched on the granite blocks by the seashore. 

 The Black Redstart, generally in immature plumage, occurs 

 regularly in pairs during autumn migration, and frequently 

 during the winter. Like the Eedstart, it has a decided penchant 

 for sea-worn granite boulders. The Eobin is in evidence all the 

 year round, and breeds on all the inhabited islands. It appears 

 to look on the Eedstarts as intruders of a more than usually 

 objectionable nature, and in the autumn fierce combats on the 

 rocks are by no means uncommon. 



The Whitethroat has been noted in the autumn. It occurs 

 irregularly, and is probably a frequent migratory casual. The 

 Lesser Whitethroat has only once been obtained, namely, in 

 October, 1857. Eodd believes he saw a pair on Castle Downs, 

 Tresco, in 1863. The Blackcap is an autumn and winter casual 

 in the Abbey Gardens. It was obtained by Pechell in September, 

 1850, and again in October, 1854. Since then it has been noted 

 altogether over a dozen times, including twice in December and 

 twice in January. The Garden-Warbler is evidently a rare 

 autumn casual. It was first obtained by Jenkinson in 1849. 

 The only other authenticated occurrences are a single bird in 

 October, 1874, which seemingly came over with a flight of Bed- 

 wings, and a pair on Sept. 29th, 1900, of which one was shot. 

 The Dartford Warbler has not been observed. The Goldcrest 

 does not breed on the islands, but arrives in large flocks in 

 autumn and winter, and is often common in the spring. On 

 Tresco great numbers at times spend a considerable portion of 

 the winter in the fir-plantation about the Abbey. In January, 

 1904, the trees were literally alive with them. These flocks 

 appear to be entirely composed of birds of the year. Adult 

 birds do occasionally occur, but singly, in pairs, or at most in 

 flights of eight to ten, and seem to be almost always associated 

 with Chiffchaffs, and often with Siskins and Eedstarts as well. 

 The Firecrest was first obtained by Pechell in 1851, but in 1871 

 Eodd writes that it is sometimes as plentiful as the Goldcrest. 

 Though not observed in great numbers during recent years it is 

 certainly a regular autumn and winter visitor, coming, as a rule, 

 in the month of October, with Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs, and Bed- 



