ORDER OF MIGRATION ACCORDING TO AGE AND SEX 113 



long as no Yellow-billed Blackbirds are seen in autumn, the Thrush 

 season is still in a fair way. 



Seeing that all the statements about the sequence of migra- 

 tion in regard to age, sex, and season, set forth in this chapter, 

 not only deviate considerably from the views hitherto entertained 

 on this subject, but in many cases are entirely opposed to such 

 views, we would remark in conclusion that, in what has been said 

 above, every erroneous notion or possible insufficiency of observa- 

 tion has been most positively excluded. When one has been 

 employed for nearly fifty years in a place like Heligoland in 

 putting together a collection of the most perfect specimens obtain- 

 able, he ought at least to be credited with the j^ossession of a sure 

 knowledge of the exact seasons of the year when this or that 

 particular plumage may be looked for. 



