COURSE OF MIGRATION IX HELIGOLAND 5 



the cliff. They visit their breeding-places in flocks of thousands 

 at the New Year, often even as early as December, as though they 

 wanted to make sure of their former haunts being well preserved 

 and ready for their recejotion. These visits are however limited to 

 the hours of high water at the particular time, and mostly take 

 place early in the morning. The whole face of the cliflf is then as 

 completely covered with the birds as in the height of the breeding 

 season. Amid the exchange of endless obeisances and incessant 

 altercations, they carry on an animated conversation, in which every 

 one of them seems to be talkincj but not one to be listeninsf. With 

 the approach of low tide all have disappeared. Visits of this 

 nature are repeated at irregular intervals until the true com- 

 mencement of the breeding season — about the beginning of April. 



Xext to the Guillemots, the Skylarks and Starlings make 

 their appearance, according to the state of the weather, from the 

 middle of January, at first in small and afterwards in larger flocks. 

 They present however mostly a very sorry aj^pearance, and appear 

 to have but little foreboding of the joys of spring ; nor is this to 

 be wondered at, seeing how extremely raw, duU, and short the 

 so-called mild daj's of the first months of the year are apt to be. 



Bird-life presents Httle change during the first weeks of 

 February. Should, however, the weather be tolerablj' mild, 

 Larks, Starlings, and Fieldfares make then* appearance in already 

 large numbers, more especially the two first named ; and also 

 Dunlins, Plovers, and Golden Plovers. During the last week how- 

 ever the migration begins to assume another character ; unless 

 frost or snow prevail the first of the Pied Wagtails make their 

 appearance, sometimes also a Grey Wagtail, and possibly even a 

 Stonechat. This latter species, as a rule, however, does not make 

 its appearance before the beginning of March. Moreover, as 

 regards the Fieldfares, which occur durmg the whole of the month, 

 one is never certain whether thej- are merely roving companies or 

 regidar migrants, inasmuch as great flights of these birds are met 

 with even as late as May. The Missel Thrush, however, passes 

 through the island regularly at the end of February, though 

 always in scattered companies. — This exhausts the hsts of the 

 few regular February migrants. 



Bird-life becomes more animated in March, even at its com- 

 mencement; the Stonechat, just mentioned, which is here christened 

 the Messenger of Spring, as well as the Pied Wagtail, are almost 

 daily guests. The Liimet, Twite, and Greenfinch are met with 

 pretty frequently, the Goldfinch more rarely ; besides these, large 

 flocks of Starlings, Skylarks — which, however, for the most part, 

 are merely birds of passage — and small companies of the famihar 



