1G BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS 



of this country. Yet all are distinctly migratory, and it 

 may be doubted whether any single individual found in 

 winter on our fells, fields, or shores, ever remains to 

 breed here during - the following- spring. 



The subject of migration, with its corollary — the 

 seasonal geographical distribution of species- — has, of 

 recent years, received close attention from scientific 

 ornithologists ; and a flood of information has been thrown 

 upon the question by their researches, and especially by 

 the systematic observations maintained at the various 

 light-stations both around our own coasts and abroad. 

 Recent investigations have shown that migration is 

 vastly more extensive than was formerly supposed. The 

 further it is studied the more general appears to be its 

 scope and the more universal the instinct in birds to 

 migrate. Very few species, remain absolutely stationary 

 throughout the year. The Migration Reports 1 of the 

 British Association show that many of our common 

 birds — such as thrushes, blackbirds, starlings, larks, and 

 rooks — cross the seas in astonishing numbers. The 

 greater proportion of these winged hosts is, of course, 

 directed upon Continental Europe, but a due share 

 reaches our islands, including members of every genus 

 and indeed of almost every species. 



Few species are entirely stationary ; though some 

 have restricted ranges, and others (though perhaps of 

 closely allied genera) are cosmopolitan in their travels ; 

 while, of some eminently migratory species (such as, for 



1 These Migration Reports, nevertheless, appear to me quite as 

 remarkable for what they omit as for what they include. This remark is 

 made in no spirit of criticism, since the work done has been sound and 

 thorough. But, to my mind, these Reports show conclusively, by the 

 omissions themselves, how little of migration is visible and how vast a 

 proportion is carried on absolutely beyond the ken of human eye. 



