140 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
ringed at Chipping Norton were apparently used to test the
homing powers of the species. One was taken to Cambridge
to be released and the other to the Horse Guards Parade,
London, but both ended their days in Essex. It is not
surprising to find that Starlings participated in nine different
types of seasonal migration; three of these point to residence,
four to migration and two to abmigration, these three heads
claiming respectively 15, 8 and 7 recoveries. One of the Starlings
ringed in Essex was recovered in Holland and eight of the birds
recovered in the county came from either Germany or Holland.
The ringing of Tits was stopped some years ago under the
"British Birds" scheme, as it was considered that it had been
proved that these birds are sedentary. The Essex recoveries of
Great and Blue Tits conform to this view. The Blackbirds'
recoveries are spread over eight different movements, but fifteen
recoveries support the idea of residence, and although migration
is supported by one and abmigration by two, yet the greatest
distance covered was from Nazeing to Napton near Rugby, the
bird having been ringed in May and recovered in December of
the same year. If the evidence of the six Robins, which were
recovered, is conclusive, then this species is very sedentary in the
county. Little information has been obtained regarding the
summer-residents, but there are three instances of the homing
powers of the Swift. One ringed at Shenfield in June, 1937,
was found in May of the following year at the same place and
another ringed also at Shenfield in July, 1929, returned to where
it had been ringed four years later, namely, in May, 1933. These
birds had probably wintered in South Africa. Two of the
most notable results are the cases of the Black-headed and
Common Gulls. Of the former only one of the 28 recovered birds
was ringed in Britain, namely, in Cumberland. The remainder
was marked chiefly along the Baltic, a few in Holland, and one
as a nestling at Lake Zurich in Switzerland. All the Common
Gulls were ringed either in Denmark or Sweden. Although
no other species can claim more than four recoveries, yet all
are of value and some particularly interesting. A Sparrow-
Hawk which was ringed at Heligoland in April, 1930, was
recovered four years later at Earls Colne. A Mallard born at
Tollesbury was found at Danzig and a Teal ringed also at
Tollesbury was recovered at Schleswig. A Lapwing born in