16 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



After arriving on our eastern shores, these immigrants from the 

 north some of them after resting for a while move either down 

 the south-eastern coast of England, en route for more southern 

 winter quarters, or, if winter visitors, to their accustomed haunts in 

 Britain and Ireland. A few occur as birds of passage on the west 

 coast and in Ireland, which they reach by overland routes across 

 Britain, and then pass southwards to their winter quarters. The 

 west coasts, however, do not receive directly any immigrants from 

 Continental Europe. 



Thus, so far as concerns the movements of the birds of passage 

 to and from their northern breeding haunts, the British east and 

 west coast migratory movements are very distinct in their characters. 

 The west coast does not receive immigrants direct from Europe, nor 

 do these Continental breeding species depart from its shores in the 

 spring. 



II. Intermigration between the South-east Coast of England and 

 the Coast of Western Europe ' East and West Route? There is a 

 considerable amount of migration observed at the lightships and 

 lighthouses between the Kentish coast and the Wash, flowing from 

 the south-east to the north-west, not infrequently from east to west, 

 across the southern waters of the North Sea. From the stations off 

 the mouth of the Thames as a centre, the birds either sweep up the 

 east coast, sometimes to and beyond the Tees (many proceeding 

 inland as they go), or pass to the west along the southern shores of 

 England. 



III. Intermigration between Britain and Ftzroe, Iceland, and 

 Greenland. Fteroe, Iceland, and Greenland are the summer home 

 of several species (Wheatear, White Wagtail, and Whimbrel) which 

 occur as birds of passage on the British coasts. These birds 

 being of strictly Old World species, our Islands lie in the course of 

 their migrations. It is quite possible that these migrants may pass 

 along both the eastern and western coasts of Britain and the coasts 

 of Ireland. Here, at any rate, we have evidence that these birds 

 are observed on passage on our western shores. There is good 

 evidence that important movements of Redwings, Wheatears, and 

 Whimbrels are observed on the western coast of Great Britain and 

 the Irish coasts (both east and west as regards the passage of the 

 Whimbrel) which are not observed elsewhere. Such a fact points 

 to the independent nature of these west coast flights, and indicates 

 that in some instances at least the western route alone is followed. 



