LONDON WHEATEARS.
[To THE EDITOR OF ME ". SPECTATOR.") &,—Mr. Massingham asks if there are any records of the wheatear in the South of London. J. A. Bucknill in his Birds of Surrey (1900) says that "in the early part of the century it would appear to have been not uncommon in the then extensive garden grounds and open spaces near Battersea, Peckham, and Deptford (Graves, Brit. Orn., Vol. III., 1811-1821), but Mr. Blyth in 1836 describes it as uncommon in his immediate neighbourhood (Tooting), and only to be met with occasionally in the seasons of passage. It has been noticed recently at Dulwich (Teesdale, 1894), Wimbledon Common, where it occasionally breeds, and in other ,places near the-metropolis."
Surely Mr. Hudson, in writing that " when the plough comes the wheatear vanishes," only means that the wheatear does not nest in ploughland. I have certainly seen w-heatears on plough when first arriving; but, of course, such birds a-re merely on their way elsewhere. Mr. Matsingham'e record of March 13th is the earliest I have seen for the wheatear's arrival this year; but records are likely to be early for other
• birds. I have been listening to chiffchaffs all through this morning, and yesterday saw a male orange-tip butterfly on the wing. Both these are the earliest occurrences of which I have any personal note, though, of course, there is nothing very unusual in the chiffehaff arriving earlier; and, indeed, there are records of the bird wintering in England—as, of course, there are also of the wheatear.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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