280 REPORTS. 



that morning and halted there before dispersing inland. All through 

 the long days of summer a ramble in the country cannot fail to tell one 

 of the presence of this sweet-voiced little bird, and -well into the Autumn 

 he may still be heard, for the Chiff-chaff, early to arrive, is also late in 

 leaving our shores. I heard the bird frequently during September and 

 for the last time (at St. Martin's) on October 10th. In some years the 

 note has still been heard more than a week later than this. 



WheateaP. — Who that frequents L'Ancresse Common and journeys along 

 the coast road from thence to Pleinmont is not familiar with the Wheat- 

 ear — that bird, with the white rump, which starts from the grass on one's 

 approach and flies a few yards on ahead to repeat the performance when 

 one gets near to it again ? If not known by name it must be well known 

 by sight to many. The bird is, as I have said, the Wheatear, another of 

 our summer visitors. As noted by Mr. J. S. Hocart at the Vale and 

 myself at St. Martin's the bird was very late in arriving this year — Mr. 

 Hocart first saw one on April 16th and myself on the 17th — but Dr. 

 Cresswell told me on April 11th that he had seen one on the front at 

 Cobo quite three weeks before. This, on the other hand, takes us back 

 to quite an early date for first seeing the Wheatear. Speaking for 

 L'Ancresse Mr. Hocart reports the bird as having been very scarce this 

 summer and he saw none after October 1st. During August I chanced 

 upon Wheatears at several different spots round the island, and saw 

 the last (several) between Pleinmont and Perelle on October 9th. In 

 some years the bird has been seen from two to three weeks later. On 

 August 22nd I saw a Wheatear on the Hogs Back cliffs, Sark. 



Wryneck. — On April 1st, ten days earlier than last year, the always wel- 

 come note of the Wryneck was heard at Torteval by Miss Tourtel. For 

 more than a week following this date nobody else reported the fresh, 

 exhilarating call, but on the 9th it was heard in districts as far apart as 

 the Yale (by Mr. Hocart) and St. Martin's (by Mr. S. M. Henry and 

 others) ; also at La Moye, Jersey, by our old friend Mr. Joseph Sinel. I 

 did not hear the bird myself until the 13th and did so but little up to the 

 end of May. Throughout June one was frequently en evidence at Les 

 Blanches, while on July 4th my wife and I heard one so near to the town 

 as the middle of Hauteville. The little fellow was singing away quite 

 briskly. Mr. Hocart's last date for the A^ale was June 21th, and the 

 Rev. R. H. Tourtel's for Torteval, July 8th. Passing through Les Vardes, 

 St. Peter-Port, I heard one as late as July 21st. This is not a record 

 date, for in 1908 Mr. Hocart reported the note on July 30th, but this 

 notwithstanding, the end of the third week of July is a fairly late date 

 for still hearing the Wryneck's note. 



Cuckoo. — The "bird of mystery" announced its arrival to listening 

 Guernsey on April 18th. I say to "listening Guernsey" because for 

 - sure of all our bird visitors the Cuckoo is the one most listened for. We 

 generally expect to hear the familiar note about the middle of April, and 

 on the afternoon of the 18th my wife and myself both heard and saw a 

 Cuckoo in the neighbourhood of Saints' bay. By the 2l6t, which was Good 

 Friday, the bird was widely distributed, for the Rev. R. H. Tourtel has 

 reported its appearance at Torteval on that day, Major S. C. Curtis at St. 

 Saviour's, and Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Henry at Le Vauquiedor. It was also 

 heard at St. George. Two days later (April 23rd) Mr. Hocart heard it at 

 the Yale, and on this day also, as told to me by Mr. W. J. Kaye, of the 



Lighthouse, the bird made its entry into Sark. All through May and 



np to the middle of June the Cuckoo never tired of letting us know he 

 was here, and then suddenly at Midsummer, earlier than usual, he 

 ceased singing. Mr. Hocart did not hear the bird after the 22nd, Mr. 

 Tourtel after the 23rd, and my last date was the 21th. In some 

 years, and not infrequently, the Cuckoo is heard up to the early days of 

 July. 



