1921.] 



REPORTS. 11 



Chiff-chaff. — On March 17, a day earlier than last year, I heard 

 a chiff-chaff in full song in the Fermain Bay valley. Miss Brock 

 first heard the bird on the 22nd. This little migrant spread 

 inland sooner than usual and was with us in decidedly bigger 

 numbers than in recent years. I last heard the bird on October 5. 



Wheatear, — I first saw wheatears on April 15 in a field at the 

 Fort Road and throughout the summer chanced upon the bird 

 at different spots. Miss Brock saw some at Roequame Castle in 

 September and I last saw one on October 11 at Grandes Roeques. 



Wryneck. — The exhilarating note of this always welcome spring 

 visitor was reported to me by the Rev. R. H. Tourtel, the Rector 

 of Torteval, as having been heard at St. Saviour's on March 31 

 and by himself on April 1. Miss Brock first heard the note on 

 April 6 which was also> the date on which I and others heard the 

 bird at St. Martin's. I did not hear the song after June 11. 

 Mr. T. Robin noted the call at L'Ancresse on the 18th, and, at 

 Torteval, Mr. Tourtel gives July 3 as the last date for that dis- 

 trict. This is a record early date for last hearing the Wryneck 



Cuckoo. — The cuckooi (as did also the wryneck) announced its ar- 

 rival well in advance of the average date. On April 10 Miss K. 

 Tardif saw one on the wing, and the following day the bird was 

 heard by Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Henry at Havilland Hall Farm, 

 Le Vauquiedor. 'On the 12th Miss Brock noted the call at Tor- 

 teval, as did also the Rev. R. H. Tourtel, and residents of both 

 St. Peter's and St. Martin's heard the bird the same day in those 

 parishes. All too soon the cuckoo's brief singing interval came 

 to a close. Mr. S. M. Henry heard the bird up to June 28 and 

 the Rev. Tourtel to July 5. Miss Brock's date is a record. She 

 wrote: "Last heard (two calls only) on July 19 at St. Peter's.' ' 

 For Guernsey the Transactions oo ntain no later date than July 

 13 (1907). At SARK this year the cuckoo was heard by Miss E. 

 Henry on July 2 and 9. 



Swallow and House Martin.— The Society's Transactions 

 have yet to record a March swallow. The two earliest dates in 

 19 years' observation come from the smaller islands of the Baili- 

 wick, viz., April 1, 1918, Herm, and April 4, 1919, Sark. Swal- 

 lows arrived very slowly this spring and in very small numbers. 

 For weeks one hardly ever saw more than one or two at a time 

 and only here and there, and they were never numerous. The 

 summer was ideal as regards weather, but it was almost swallow- 

 less. Miss K. Tardif saw both swallows and house martins flying 

 about over the Fort Road fields for some considerable time on 

 the afternoon of April 11. I commenced seeing solitary birds on 

 the 22nd, and Miss Brock on the 24th. At the end of the season 

 Miss Tardif saw some twenty flying behind Le Friquet, St. Mar- 

 tin's, on October 14, and on the 20th I saw two> at Les Blanches. 

 This is a very early date for last seeing swallows, and the same 

 has to be said of house martins. I saw none after October 18. 

 This was at Le Frie, St. Peter's. 



Sand Martin. — On June 3, Miss Brock saw sand martins, house 

 martins and swifts, all together, hawking for flies off the Petit 

 Bot cliffs. 



Swift. — In the last days of April and very true to date, swifts 

 began arriving. Miss Tardif saw one at L'Eree on April 29. 

 The following day Mr. Edward Rammell saw 7 near St. Andrew's 



