48 
NATURE NOTES 
associate many other pleasant observations, be they pheno- 
logical, zoological, meteorological, or otherwise, and the first 
find or record of the year awakens in us the necessity for renewed 
accuracy of observation. 
The yellow wagtail may be said to come next in order of 
arrival, though it is not always very regular in its appearance 
and in some years it may not be seen until the middle of April. 
It is not to be mistaken, however, for it is a very striking and 
beautiful bird, and the white tail feathers exhibited by it in 
flight at once betray it. The wryneck, for which tradition, 
and its hissing habit when disturbed on the nest, have obtained 
the name of snake-bird, seldom seen far north or west of the 
Severn, makes its appearance in the south about March 20, 
and in the Midlands it may be seen about during the first week 
in April. The wheatear, “ the sea-blue bird of March,” may 
be said to be the next arrival, coming to us about the 28th. 
Many record it as the earliest arrival, but this is open to ques- 
tion. The sand martin, a bird which confines its stay with us 
principally to the neighbourhood of lakes, rivers, and the sea- 
coast, is generally to be seen before the 30th or the 31st. 
Following it a day or two later, which brings us to April i, 
or ” All Fools’ Day,” comes the tree pipit, a bird not often seen 
and when seen often confused with others, but which is readily 
recognised by its peculiarly charming babbling song. The 
house martin, which invades the eaves of our houses and church 
porches for the purpose of nesting, is usually to be seen by 
April 5, and may at once be distinguished from the swallows 
by the patch of white on its breast. The willow-wren, a bird 
which is more often than not confused with the so-called ‘‘ wood- 
wren,” may be heard giving utterance to its soft little warble 
by April 9, but it is very often not recorded until much later— 
the 17th being a much more general date for its arrival. The 
whinchat comes next, appearing on or about the loth. The 
cuckoo, ” harbinger of spring,” appears about the 15th, then 
the wood-wren. The swallow is seen from the 17th onwards, 
though it was recorded last year in the Midlands on the 13th, 
and this is by no means the earliest date for it to be recorded, 
judging from records from other cpiarters. The blackcap, 
garden warbler, greater and lesser whitethroats, all appear 
between the 20th and the 25th, whilst a few days later the 
redstart is to be seen, though this brightly coloured and striking 
bird may often be recorded in the south much earlier. 
The "grasshopj)er warbler, always a shy bird, and usually 
described as of ‘‘ skulking habits,” is very seldom seen, and 
its first api)earance may not be noticed for some time after 
arrival, but April 22 usually sees it as far north as the Midlands. 
The landrail, were it not for its “ crake, crake,” would sel- 
dom find recorders, and so it is that we do not find its arrivals 
noted until much before the 25th. By this time many of the 
