250 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



occasional autumn visitor at Tresco in immature plumage, and 

 has been several times recorded in April, and once, in 1868, on 

 June 11th. The Goldfinch appears in family parties in the 

 autumn, and not uncommonly at Tresco in March, in flocks of 

 twelve to twenty. The Siskin not infrequently appears at 

 Tresco in autumn and winter, sometimes singly, usually in 

 small parties of four to seven. In January, 1904, a tame but 

 restless party of five spent some days among the Pinus lamberti- 

 anus on the Abbey drive. In the beginning of November, 1905, 

 some half a dozen separate parties arrived at Tresco, evidently 

 at the same time as a flight of Goldcrests, accompanied by 

 several Chiffchaffs. The House- Sparrow is a common resident 

 on the inhabited islands. In July, 1903, it was abundant be- 

 tween the two hills of Samson. The Tree- Sparrow, in the list 

 of Scillonian birds at the end of Eodd's ' Birds of Cornwall,' is 

 said to be occasionally met with, but no authentic specimen or 

 definite record can be found. Small parties of Chaffinches often 

 visit the islands with flocks of Linnets in the autumn, and gene- 

 rally remain for the winter. Large flocks occasionally appear in 

 the autumn, but depart in the course of a day or two. In March 

 flocks, usually of females, come not infrequently with a south 

 wind, and a little later mixed parties of Linnets and Chaffinches 

 are fairly common, but the latter have never been found nesting. 

 The Brambling is an occasional visitor in autumn and winter, 

 usually rare, but at long intervals fairly plentiful, as in the 

 autumn of 1863, and in the winter of 1890-91. The Linnet 

 occurs in large and frequent flocks, often mixed with Chaffinches, 

 in autumn and spring, and irregularly throughout the winter. 

 It has not hitherto been recorded as nesting at Scilly, but in 

 1903 nests were found on Garrison Hill, St. Mary's, and on 

 St. Martin's, and in 1904 on Tresco. Bullfinches do not appear 

 to have been seen on the islands till the last four years. They 

 were first recorded by Clark in his "Birds of Cornwall " (' Journal ' 

 of the Boyal Institution of Cornwall, vol. xvi. 1902). In the 

 spring of 1903 they were plentiful on St. Mary's, Samson, and 

 Bryher ; and in April, 1904, a flock of about twenty spent several 

 days in the churchyard at Old Town, St. Mary's. No nest has 

 so far been discovered. A large flock of Crossbills, together with 

 Greenfinches and Hawfinches, appeared on Tresco in June and 



