THE PERILS OF MIGRATION 113 



storms in our islands, account for the death of 

 thousands of travellers. And even in most favour- 

 able weather birds fall exhausted. During a stay 

 on the Yorkshire coast in autumn, when migration 

 was evenflowing and unchecked by adverse weather, 

 I found several goldcrests which had reached land 

 only to die, and though most birds came in without 

 showing signs of fatigue, a few larks and starlings 

 were so tired that they made little effort to escape 

 when approached. 



Ornithological literature supplies many accounts 

 of more or less similar disasters to migrating birds, 

 but these are enough to show that the perils of 

 migration are not exaggerated. 



