16 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



{Klil-illi) of the Grey Plover, the wild far-sounding cry of the 

 Curlew, the manifold ' Schack-shack-shack ' {Shack-shack-shack) of 

 the Fieldfare, the long-drawn ' Zieh ' (tsee) of the Redwing. Next, 

 by the sound of hundreds of rapidly-ejaculated cries, ' Tiltt-tiitt — 

 tiitt-tiltt — tiitt-tiitt ' {tutt-tiltt — tiUt-tutt — tiltt-tiltt), we recognise a 

 long-extending swarm of Knots hastily jjursuing its join-nej^ ac- 

 companied by an incessant din of countless piping, rattling, and 

 quacking voices unknown to gunner or fowler, and often re- 

 minding one of the melodious strain of a creaking cart-wheel. 

 Many of these, more particularly strident and harsher notes, 

 however, evidently proceed from the Heron and its many different 

 relatives. 



The whole sky is now filled with a babel of hundreds of thou- 

 sands of voices, and as we approach the lighthouse there presents 

 itself to the eye a scene which more than confirms the experience 

 of the ear. Under the intense glare of the light, swarms of 

 Larks, Starlings, and Thrushes career around in ever-varying 

 density, like showers of brilliant sparks or huge snowfiakes driven 

 onwards by a gale, and continuously replaced as they disappear 

 by freshly arriving multitudes. Mingled with these birds are 

 lai'ge numbers of Golden Plovers, Lapwings, Curlews and Sand- 

 pipers (Tringae). Now and again, too, a Woodcock is seen; or an 

 Owl, with slow beatings of the wings, emerges from the darkness 

 into the circle of light, but again speedily vanishes, accompanied 

 b}' the plaintive cry of an unhappy Thrush that has become its 

 prey. 



Such a migration stream lasts through a whole long autunm 

 night, and, under specially favourable conditions, may, as already 

 stated, be repeated for several nights in succession. Nor is it by 

 any means confined within the narrow limits of what is known as 

 a migration route {Zugsirasse), for that which took place in the 

 night of the 27th of October 1883, in a direction from east to west, 

 in which the birds might have been counted by millions, was noticed 

 by a young observer from Heligoland at Hanover, 112 geographical 

 miles further south ; the time of passage and the quantities of 

 birds taking part in the migration being the same as were re- 

 corded for Heligoland. Further, the east-to-west migration of the 

 Golden-crested Wren in October 1882 extended in one continuous 

 column, not only across the east coast of England and Scotland, 

 but even up to the Freroe Islands. When one thinks of numbers 

 of individuals such as these, which cannot be grasped b}- human in- 

 tellisrence, it seems absurd to talk of a conceivable diminution in the 

 number of bii'ds being effected through the agency of man. In one 

 particular respect man no doubt does exert a noticeable influence 



