1917.] 



REPORTS. 19 



the Rev. R. H. Tourtel, and the district, Torteval. The date he has 

 given me (April 12th) is the second earliest date in our Society's records, 

 which cover a period of fifteen years. A solitary arrival this, or not, I 

 cannot say, but however this may be eight days elapsed before there was 

 further news of the Cuckoo and then this most popular of all our migrants 

 began breaking the silence. On the 20th it was heard and seen at Le 

 Jaonnet, St. Martin's, by Mr. George Hoyt ; it was heard also at St. 

 Saviour's. The next day I heard the note myself at Le Vauquiedor and 

 by the 24th the bird was being heard everywhere At the end of the 

 singing season the Cuckoo was unusually vociferous and in several parts 

 of the island continued to sing daily far into July. At the Catel Mr. 

 Thomas Robin heard it up to the 5th and the Rev. R. H. Tourtel, at 

 Torteval, up to the 8th. At St. Martin's I still heard the note on the 

 9th, Mr. Hoyt on the 10th, and at Mount Row Mr. and Mrs. S. M. 

 Henry have given me the 11th as the last date on which the bird was 

 heard in that neighbourhood. July 13th (1907) is the latest date men- 

 tioned in the Society's Transactions. Last year nobody seems to have 

 heard the bird after June 24th. 



Swallow.— Swallows began to appear on April 16th, as told to me by Miss 

 K. Tardif who saw one flying over a field along the Fort Road on the 

 afternoon of that day. This is not by any means an early date for first 

 seeing the bird, albeit eight days earlier than last year. On the 18th 

 Miss Tardif saw two more, and after the 21st, when I saw a couple along 

 the St. Martin's Road, one began noticing them daily by ones and twos 

 here and there. Silently but surely the invasion of the island by this 

 member of the Swallow tribe went on until on May 11th, a hot, thundery 

 day, I recorded " Swallows in plenty." Early in September the bulk of 

 them seem to have started on the southward journey, for although occa- 

 sionally, as for instance on Sept. 15th, 20th and 21st, 25th, and again on 

 October 13th and 14th I saw a goodly number which I fancy were com- 

 panies passing through from more northerly feeding grounds, Swallows 

 although observed almost daily until well into October, were not seen in 

 numbers after, as stated, the opening days of September. The final 

 disappearance of the stragglers was early. Miss Tardif saw none after 

 October 31st, and myself after November 4th. 



House Martin. — My notes on the House Martin are meagre in the extreme 

 this year, so scanty in fact I hardly like giving you dates. However, I 

 may just say that I did not see any before April 21st or after September 

 30th. As regards the date of appearance it agrees with that of the arrival 

 of the Swallow, but it is practically certain that stragglers at any rate 

 must have still been here in October, for the House Martin leaves our 

 shores at much the same time as the Swallow. 



Swift. — The eminent ornithologist, A. Thorburn, says: "The Swift arrives 

 in the south of England at the end of April." It does so in Guernsey 

 also, but probably often without the fact being observed by a recorder of 

 such events, for the chances are those early arrivals are merely passing 

 through, not staying on. For several years now in succession some 

 amongst us have been fortunate to " sight " this interesting migrant thus 

 early. This spring I saw one at St. Martin's on April 22nd, by two days 

 the earliest date of arrival in our Society's fifteen years' record. Earlier 

 than this we can hardly expect to see the bird. As far as I was able to 

 ascertain none of the flock that yearly haunt the Town Church tower were 

 seen until May 9th ; on the 10th I myself saw some dozen or so flying round 

 the steeple, screeching loudly as they chased each other. Throughout 

 the long days these "birds of the air " sport about high over our heads 

 until with the advent of August one begins to notice a thinning down in 

 numbers. The Town Church lot I did not see after July 31st, but here 

 and there in country districts I continued seeing some almost daily up to 

 August 22nd. On that day they were in plenty at Le Gouffre. After 



