1919.] 



REPORTS. 169 



see any until the 17th, and right up to the end of the month stragglers 

 only were noted ; now and then a solitary flyer would flit past, but on 

 more days than not none were seen. Towards the end of the first week 

 of May one began seeing them in larger numbers. Noiselessly and 

 unannounced their numbers increased until from all directions and in all 

 parts of the island one came in daily contact with them. During the 

 latter half of September and in the very early days of October large 

 numbers were seen almost daily on the telegraph wires at Les Blanches, 

 after which the number observed quickly dwindled down to one or two 

 a day, seen now here, now there. The last I saw were hawking for 

 insects almost every morning for a fortnight near Manor House, at Les 

 Vardes. On the 25th, 28th and 29th of October there were two of them, 

 and on the 30th as also on November 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th one only. It 

 was very pathetic to watch this lonely little bird day after day, appa- 

 rently still enjoying what little of heat the low November sun was 

 giving out, as it hunted for food, the while the host of its congeners had 

 undertaken the long southward journey weeks before. The last time but 

 one I saw this late swallow it was perched on the bare branch of a young 

 sycamore very busily preening its wings, and so close to me I could see 

 the red of the breast plumage quite distinctly. 

 House Martin and Sand Martin.— The house martin has been here in 

 numbers as usual. Although this member of the swallow family 

 generally makes its appearance as early as the others I chanced to see 

 none this year before April 24th nor later than October 16th. On August 

 28th a number of sand martins were hawking over the surface of the 

 Vale Pond, and again on September 5th and 8th I saw at least one at the 

 same place. 



Swift. — My own observations of the sojourn of the swift with us this year 

 leads me to the conclusion that the birds arrived late, and certainly that 

 they left considerably earlier than usual at the end of the season. I 

 always look for and expect to see swifts before the close of April, but 

 this year it was not until May 5th that I saw the first of these graceful 

 flyers — some half-dozen hawking around in the vicinity of the Town 

 Church. The next day I saw several more as I was walking along the 

 Fort Road. Frequently some remain with us until well into September. 

 Far, however, from that being the case this time, they had all dis- 

 appeared before the middle of August. On the 31st of July, the day of 

 the Peace Celebrations at St. Martin's, quite a number were sporting 

 about over the fete field at the Rue Maze ; I again saw a good many at 

 Havilland on the evening of August 6th, and the last, a solitary bird, at 

 Les Blanches on the 10th of the month 



Corncrake. — The island is not yet altogether forsaken by the corncrake, 

 but it is pretty evident that very few have come over in recent summers, 

 if not indeed for some considerable time. This year one made its appear - 

 rance in the field opposite Morley Chapel on May 16th, where it was 

 heard by Mr. George F. Alles, and later by Mr. T. Robin and myself. 

 For ten days the bird continued to be heard at this spot, then moved, 

 apparently, to a field close to Les Blanches, from where for five nights 

 in succession the call was heard regularly. The bird must then have 

 returned again to the Morley field, for on the following night, and for a 

 week, the note once more came from there. After this I heard the 

 corncrake no more, but Mr. Rammell told me that on June 22nd he heard 

 one croaking from Les Bemonts, St. Andrew's. 



Kingfisher. — At the Vale Pond in the afternoon of September 8th I saw a 

 kingfisher on the wing twice, and once had the pleasure of seeing it 

 fishing in the pond from oft a shrub that overhung the water. In the 

 bright sunshine prevailing at the time the bird's rich adorning looked 

 particularly fine. On the 12th of the same month I again saw a 

 kingfisher — this time at Bordeaux, Vale. 



B 



