ICTERINE WARBLER. 49 



As an example of the good work that is being carried out at 

 light-stations, that which is being prosecuted by Mr. Eagle 

 Clarke stands out prominently. Before this zealous ornithologist 

 took up the studies of migration on Fair Isle, not only was the 

 Icterine Warbler unknown in Scotland, but, if we allowed our- 

 selves to be guided solely by records, it would seem that the 

 species showed a preference for the section of Great Britain which 

 lies between the counties of Norfolk and Sussex. But from a 

 study of its geographical distribution,* there is no valid reason 

 on the bird's part to show why it should confine itself in the 

 main to this circumscribed area when touching on the British 

 coast. The bird was recorded more often here than elsewhere 

 doubtless because there were relatively more observers. But 

 that the Icterine Warbler has passed along a considerable part 

 of the eastern seaboard of Great Britain is shown by the 

 capture of a specimen in Yorkshire and another in Northumber- 

 land. If to these we add the records of its visits recently made 

 to Orkney and Shetland, we find that its British distributional 

 area on migration is very wide ; occupying in fact, the extreme 

 length of the eastern seaboard from Dover to Shetland. And no 

 doubt the gaps, still existing, in the bird's occurrences between 

 Northumberland and the north of the Scottish mainland are 

 only apparent, and will be filled up by records of actual specimens 

 obtained as time goes on ; indeed, it is no mere hypothetical 

 idea to assume that this Warbler has already more than once 

 visited intermediate points on the eastern sea-coast of Scotland. 

 Such visits to our coastlands are to be expected, even though 

 they be in small numbers, for the birds which reach us are 

 regular members of the western fringe of migrants, which, 

 without any undue detachment from the main body, pass up 

 annually far beyond our latitudes to breed in Scandinavia, 

 penetrating into the Arctic circle in Norway. A glance at the 

 general geographical distribution t of the Icterine Warbler, as it 

 pushes north to breed, shows that, inasmuch as it is common 

 within sight of our shores — e. g. in parts of France, Belgium, and 

 Holland — it can hardly avoid touching the east coastlands of 

 Great Britain ; and so it is fair to put forward the argument that 

 the bird has been largely overlooked. Furthermore, we cannot 

 * Vide p. 53. f Ibid. 



