Booth : Migration of the Common Swallow. 57 
Case 201 : Marked as a nestling in Kincardineshire on 21st 
August, 1910 ; found with a broken wing in the same 
village on 22nd May, 1911. 
Case 483 : Marked as a nestling at Beaulieu, Hants., on 
6th September, 1912 ; caught in an outhouse, where it 
was believed to be nesting, at Ringwood, Hants., about 
eighteen miles from its birthplace, on 2nd May, 1913.’ 
It is noteworthy that the last-named bird, although it was 
only marked as a nestling in a later brood on September 6th, 
yet it had already returned, and was believed to be nesting as 
early as May 2nd of the following year. 
Mr. H. F. Witherby, in the British Birds marking scheme, 
has had some very remarkable results with f ringed ’ Swallows.* 
Under the heading ‘ Ringed as Nestlings and recovered at home/ 
he says, ‘ Twelve ringed in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, 
Warwickshire and Surrey, have been recovered at the same 
place in the summer of the following year, and one ringed in 
Lancashire, two years afterwards.’ The Yorkshire bird referred 
to was marked by Mr. F. W. Sherwood at Ingleton, on June 20th, 
1915, and reported by Mr. M. Ramwell at the same place on 
May 29th, 1916. f A nestling marked at Broughton, in Peebles- 
shire, on July 4th, 1914, was reported at the same place nearly 
two years after — on May 5th, 1916. Another nestling, ringed 
near Glasgow, on June 29th, 1914, was reported by Mr. D. 
Green at Skipton, Yorkshire, on May 23rd, 1915. J Two others, 
marked in Hampshire, were found the following season, one in 
Middlesex and the other in Sussex. It is possible that these 
young birds were diverted from returning to the homes of their 
birth by pairing with mates (probably their seniors) belonging 
to other districts. 
Dealing with Swallows ‘ Ringed as adults and recovered at 
home,’ Mr. Witherby continues, ‘ Three ringed in Staffordshire 
and Lancashire have been recovered at the same place in the 
following summer, and two ringed in Dumfriesshire and Peebles- 
shire in summer two years afterwards.’ 
One of the Staffordshire birds was a very interesting case. 
It was caught by Mr. J. R. B. Masefield at Cheadle, on May 27th, 
1912, as an adult female on the nest, and ringed. It was caught 
again on the same nest on June 10th, 1913. § I believe that I 
am correct in saying that no adult Swallow ringed here has 
ever been retaken in its summer quarters, excepting at the same 
place where it was ringed ; so I trust I have proved that the 
great majority of Swallows do return to the spot which they 
left to commence their long journey south. Probably almost 
all would do so, excepting for the all important question of 
mating ; for it is very obvious that when two birds, each belong- 
ing to a different district, pair together, they cannot both 
return to their respective districts. 
* British Birds, Vol. XIII., p. 294. j British Birds, Vol. X., p. 62. 
X British Birds, Vol. IX., p. 268. § British Birds, Vol. VII., p. 163. 
1922 Feb. 1 
