INTRODUCTION. xxxv 



the north — some of them after resting for a while — move 

 either down the east coast, 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, which they reach by overland routes across Britain, 

 and then pass southward to their winter quarters. 



Inter migration between the South-East Coast of England 

 and the Coast of Western Europe — " East and West Route." 



This is one of the discoveries of the inquiry. It has already 

 been shown that the more southern section of the East coast 

 of England does not receive immigrants direct from Northern 

 Europe. There is, however, a considerable amount of 

 migration observed at the lightships south of the Wash. 

 During the autumn, day after day, a stream of migrants, 

 often of great volume, is observ-ed off the coast, flowing chiefly 

 from the south-east to the north-west at the more northerly 

 stations (and this is what particularly affects Yorkshire), 

 and from east to west at the southerly ones, across the 

 southernmost waters of the North Sea. This is called the 

 " East and West Route." 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 proceed- 

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

 shores of England. These important immigrations set in 

 during the latter days of September, reach their maximum 

 in October, and continue at intervals until November. They 

 are chronicled with wonderful precision and regularity in the 

 returns from stations on the south-east coast of England. 

 They are renewed during winter on occasions of exceptionally 

 severe cold, but the birds then pass to the westward along the 

 south coast. 



There are some remarkable features associated with these 

 movements : — 



(i) They are frequently observed for several or many 

 consecutive days ; 



(2) They often occur when there is an almost entire absence 

 of bird-migration on other parts of our shores ; 



