Correspondence. 
117 
districts; now a few pairs on a rocky coast alone survive, naturally hauntin^»- 
Cornwall, the land of King Arthur, whose soul is sEid to have pa "Fed into 
one of these princely birds. There is also in Cornwall a window fro .1 where 
it is possible to behold the buzzard, a bird once deplored as doomed, hut now 
doing so well that it may yet deserve its name as " common." and often 
identified as an " eagle " by Lakeland visitors. Ravens, another fine species 
driven from inland haunts and from all the old " raven trees " of the country 
by pers.^cution, are returning to Southern England, \ here two or three pairs 
hung on in constant jeoi)ardy : and their sable coats and hoarse deep croak, 
renowned in legend and superstition, are to be met v. .'th on Brean Down, in 
the Isle of Wight, in Cornwall, and elsewhere, as we'l as farther n^-th. It 
is especially encouraging to find that a pair, no doubt a result of tji tection 
on Brean Down, have returned to a long-abandoned resting place among the 
towering Cheddar cliffs. 
Another exceptionally interesting bird is the daii.ty phalarope, Ruskin"s 
" Arctic fairy,"' which breeds in the main far up in .Arctic latitudes, but has a 
few British-born children every year in the Slietlands. Every devi • : of the 
collector is put forth to obtain the eggs of these birds, and of their cousins 
the Kentish plover, now to be found only on one str.ny reach of Kent and 
Sussex, where also the Norfolk plover and two or tliree species of tern nest. 
Placed within easy reach of London, this area, protected by law and watched 
by the society, would otherwise be at the mercy of cr Hectors. 
0-¥^ 
Correspondence. 
SPRING MIGRANTS IN ESSEX. 
January, February and March were all exceptionally mild in this part 
of the kingdom, and the last two of these months proved to be abnormally 
dry, so I w-as on the look-out for unusually early arrivals of the migrants. 
But such was not to be the case, owing, I imagine, to the cheerlessness of 
April. This month produced only five rainless days, and a total rainfall of 
3.41 inches against an average of 1.36. The thermometer certainly kept 
fairly high, but naturally under the circumstances tliere was hardly any 
sunshine. The Wryneck arrived at Danbury on March i/tli, some three 
weeks earlier than usual. After this I observed no fresh species till 11 a.m. 
on April nth, when in balmy weatlier I saw several Tree-pipits, and admired 
their cheerful song, and also heard the cuckoo calling twice. The next 
visitor was the Chiff-Chaff at 4 p.m. on the 15th, weather very stormy, but 
far from cold. I noticed a parr of Swallows on thi^ lyih — a medium date, 
and Swifts at Danbury on the 30th, although they are not due till th? first or 
second week in May. The earliest date I ever beard the Nightingale was on 
April i2th, 1901 ; this year it didn't come till the 23rd and, owing to unfav- 
ourable weather, was by no means vocal for several days afterwards. I 
noticed the Lesser White-throat on the 2^\h, nme days earlier than ever 
before, and the Greater White-throat on tbe 29th. On that day I also saw 
and heard the Blackcap and its rapturous song. It was late in its arrival, 
for I have several earlier records, the earliest being on April 14th. 1914. A 
Elvcatch?r reached Danbtiry on May ist, about a week earlier than usual, 
tliough it came on May 4th in 1917. 
