r9T2. Patten. — Rock-Pipits on Migratio7i. 167 



in the morning after a migration -night, which, having struck^ 

 had fallen or were blown over the balcony — shewed on 

 dissection an entire absence of food-stuffs in the stomach. 

 This was found to be the case in emigrants as well as in 

 immigrants, thus indicating that the former were probably 

 some time winging their way in the dark without the means 

 of getting food ere they reached the lantern ; on the other 

 hand, the gizzards of various species of emigrants which I 

 collected on the rock during dayhght, were full of food, 

 including, in some cases, seeds and grain absolutely un- 

 obtainable on the rock. It may be advanced that such 

 birds might have been only " coasting," but this at the most 

 is but an a priori argument, not backed by evidence ; at 

 all events, whether coasting or emigrating, the birds were 

 able, after recently partaking of food, to make their way 

 more rapidly to the rock than they could have done had 

 night overtaken them when crossing the sea. Had the 

 gizzards of Mr. Barrington's specimens, taken at the lantern, 

 been examined and found empty, the question in favour of 

 migration might have been well-nigh established ; but, 

 even without such an examination I think that these night 

 wanderers were more than likely making other than a mere 

 local migration. I have referred to the specimens observed 

 on the Tuskar Rock and recorded by Mr. Barrington. 

 I now supplement these with my records, pointing out that 

 a number of my observations have been substantiated 

 by the capture of actual specimens. The first observation 

 on this species I made at 7.45 a.m. on September 22nd, on a 

 calm, fine, but somewhat hazy morning. There were about 

 a dozen birds present which arranged themselves in a rather 

 thinly-scattered group. They crept about in nooks and 

 crevices, and only now and again did one or two allow 

 me an uninterrupted view of the entire body. This, coupled 

 with the fact that they were badly lit up, rendered identifi- 

 cation a trifle difficult, and for the moment thinking they 

 were a wisp of Meadow-Pipits (a bird uppermost in my mind 

 on account of the frequency with which it visited the rock) 

 I first collected one of the brightest -plumed birds, which did 

 turn out to be a Meadow-Pipit. I selected it with the view 

 of obtaining what I suspected was a particularly pale form. 



