The Scottish Naturalist. 137 



north shores of Majorca to S. Sebastien not more than 120 

 miles, or even taking it from Minorca to the south of France, 

 not much over 200 miles, or about one half the distance that 

 most of our Fieldfares, Redwings, Snow-Buntings, Woodcocks, 

 and Water-rails travel every autumn and spring. 



The lines birds take, however, either one way or the other, are 

 no doubt influenced to a certain extent by the direction of the 

 wind, sudden change of wind, fogs, and thick weather. Birds as 

 a rule prefer performing the journey with a side wind, or on the 

 quarter, a head wind, if not too strong, or even a calm, but not 

 direct aft (to use a sailor's term) which would compel them to 

 shift their course. A sudden change of wind, especially with 

 thick weather, in many cases has the effect of bewildering the 

 birds, and causing them to fly for refuge to the nearest land, 

 many of them perhaps perishing in the attempt. 



In reference to the influence of winds, the late Captain 

 Sperling, who paid much attention to the migration of birds in 

 the Mediterranean, he having been a good deal, at sea, and 

 thereby had many opportunities of watching the birds during 

 their passage, says that in spring, when going north, the greater 

 numbers cross when the wind is either westerly or northwesterly ; 

 while in autumn, when going to the south, they appeared to 

 prefer it in an easterly or southeasterly direction, and that he was 

 led to infer from this, that they did not like a fair wind to travel 

 with, but prefer it on one side or the other, and that he had 

 noticed that the preference was generally given to its being on 

 their left side. Not but what he had seen exceptions to this, 

 especially in the larger birds, which generally fly by day, * and 

 cross without any regard to wind. In speaking of the quail 

 passing to the northward^ he says that should there have been 

 a light wind from the west during the night, the island of Malta 

 would probably be covered with them in the morning ; but if 

 the wind was from the eastward, it would be very little use 

 looking for them. But when they are going to the southivard 

 in autumn the right time to look for them is after the wind has 

 been blowing from the eastward, and this is corroborated by 

 Mr Wright, f who says that in spring the quail come during the 

 night, and chiefly to the west and north-west coasts of Malta ; 

 in the autumn, on the contrary, they arrive for the most part 

 during the hours of daylight, and then the east coasts are the 



*Ibis. 1864, p. 270. flbis. 



