BIRD MIGRATION IN SOLWAY 203 



periods. But some of the irregular migration phenomena 

 must also be briefly referred to. 



A warm and genial summer will attract certain species 

 beyond their usual northern limits, and hence we have, at 

 long intervals, visits from such as the Quail and the Turtle- 

 dove. A winter of arctic severity sends the outward fringe 

 of such things as the Bohemian Waxwing, the Mealy Red- 

 poll, and the Smew. 



A vole plague augments our very few resident Short- 

 eared Owls with hordes of the same species, and seasons in 

 which beech-mast is plentiful will surely see the Bramble- 

 finch in Solway in myriads. One of the very largest flocks 

 of small birds that I have ever seen was in December of 

 i 894 in the case of these Cocks o' the North, as our country 

 folks call them. That same winter was one of unusual 

 severity, and during January birds of many species passed 

 through Solway en route to Ireland in immense flocks, 

 seeking shelter and food in the only place in Western 

 Europe where the frost was endurable. 



Many of the most common migration phenomena are, 

 even yet, most obscure and ill-known in their why and where- 

 fore. Wind and weather and temperature have of course 

 the greatest influence on the movements of the feathered 

 voyagers ; the amount and intensity of sunlight have perhaps 

 a big share also, but the action of these influences are not 

 well understood. If we could trace, hour by hour, the 

 movements of any individual migrant from the time it 

 arrives over the southern shores of England till it reaches 

 the place where it makes its summer home, a complete 

 knowledge of migration would not be unattainable. Such 

 a record is well-nigh impossible. All we can hope to do is 

 to note the movements of a species. Even that is far, 

 very far, from being perfect. We want a thoroughly detailed 

 series of dates, and other particulars, from the moment a 

 species, the Cuckoo for example, lands on this side of the 

 English Channel until it has passed through the Shetlands. 

 And all the migrating species must be treated in a similar 

 way. 



There is a tremendous attraction to the nature lover in 

 watching for the return of the birds. While the noting of 



