94 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



throated Pipit (Antlius cercinus) occurred repeatedly; of eight 

 examples of the Little Bunting four were shot ; of live of the Rustic 

 Bunting only one unfortunately was killed on the 28th of Septem- 

 ber. Among- these must also be mentioned the appearance in this 

 place of the White-backed Woodpecker (Ficus leuconotus). Whether 

 the same remark holds good in reference to a Greenland Redpole 

 (FringiUa Hornemanvi), shot on the 24th of October, I am not in a 

 position to decide. The Shore Lark, however, had occurred at that 

 time in large numbers, and also one example of the Siberian Herring 

 Gull {Lams affinis) on the 20th of the same month. During the 

 night from the 24th to the 2.5th, as well as on the night following, 

 flocks of Starlings, their numbers beyond all computation, were 

 observed migrating, these vast numbers pointing to a breed- 

 ing area of far eastward extent. The migration on these nights 

 likewise included enormous flocks of Golden and Grey Plovers, 

 species whose breeding stations are known to extend far east 

 through Northern Asia. Under these conditions may we not also 

 suppose, that the Greenland Redpole, possibly, has its breeding 

 home in these eastern parts of the extreme north, and that the 

 birds joined on this occasion the exceptionally powerful stream of 

 migration which characterised that particular year ? 



The data given on p. 95 may therefore be regarded as a sub- 

 stantial proof of the views I have repeatedly expressed in the 

 course of this chapter, viz., that easterly, and more particularly 

 south-easterh' winds, sometimes so light as virtuallj" to amount to 

 calms, form the most acceptable travelling weather for birds during 

 both periods of migrations, and that if meteorological conditions of 

 this kind prevail during the autumn months in the lower strata of the 

 atmosphere as far as Eastern Asia, they bring in their train an excep- 

 tionally powerful migration, as well as rare and unusual occurrences. 



Quite recently I have had the pleasure of being able to join 

 another link to the long chain of observations bearing on this 

 subject; inasmuch as Mr. John Cordeaux, whose name I have 

 mentioned on several previous occasions, informs me of the result 

 of his own observations of many years, which show :— ' That, on that 

 portion of the east coast of England which lies opposite Heligoland, 

 birds are in the habit of appearing in large numbers with easterly 

 and south-easterly winds, but that, with winds in the opposite direc- 

 tions, their numbers observed are very small, the migrants in the 

 latter case probably travelling according to their normal manner 

 at orreat heights overhead.' This result, based on observations 

 extending over many years, entirely agrees with what I have 

 endeavoured to prove in full detail in almost all the different 

 chapters of this portion of the present work. 



