heir southward journey from
September to November; so these late stayers in Cornwall and Guernsey
have not much time to complete their journey if they intend going as far
south as the coast of Africa; perhaps, however the Guernsey ones have no
such intention, as Mr. Gallienne, in his remarks published with
Professor Ansted's list, says "The Nightjar breeds here, and I have
obtained it summer and winter." Mr. MacCulloch tells me the Goatsucker
is looked upon by the Guernsey people as a bird of ill-omen and a
companion of witches in their aerial rambles. The bird-stuffer in
Alderney had some wings of Nightjars nailed up behind his door which
had been shot in that Island by himself.

Professor Ansted includes the Nightjar in his list, but only marks it as
occurring in Guernsey and Sark. There are two specimens, a male and
female, in the Museum, but no date as to time of their occurrence.

87. SWIFT. _Cypselus apus_, Linnaeus. French, "Martinet de
Muraille."--The Swift is a tolerably numerous summer visitant to all the
Islands, but I think most numerous in Sark, where hundreds of these
birds may be seen flying about the Coupee, amongst the rocks of which
place and Little Sark they breed in considerable numbers. Mr. MacCulloch
and Mr. Gallienne appear to think the Swift rare in Guernsey, as Mr
Gallienne says in his remarks on Professor Ansted's list, "The swift
appears here (Guernsey) in very small numbers, but is abundant in Sark;"
and Mr. MacCulloch writes me word, "I consider the Swift very rare in
Guernsey." I certainly cannot quite agree with this, as I have found
them by no means uncommon, though certainly rather locally distributed
in Guernsey. One afternoon this summer (1878) Mr. Howard Saunders and I
counted forty within sight at one time about the Gull Cliff, near the
old deserted house now known as Victor Hugo's house, as he has
immortalised it by describing it in his 'Travailleurs de la Mer.' The
Swifts use this and two similar houses not very far off for breeding
purposes, a good many nesting in them, and others, as in Sark, amongst
the cliffs. Young Le Cheminant had a few Swifts' eggs in his small
collection, probably taken from this very house, as the Swift is
certainly, as Mr. MacCulloch says, rare in other parts of Guernsey. In
Alderney the Swift is tolerably common, and a good many pairs were
breeding about Scott's Hotel when I was there this year (1878). Probably
a good many Swifts visit the Islands, es