lyo THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



rest by the way of even a couple of thousand miles, 

 is a great strain on the endurance, especially of 

 small Passerine birds ; whilst a sea flight of, say 

 300 miles, with no opportunity for rest of any 

 kind, and in many cases not even the chance of 

 snatching a mouthful of food en route, must tax 

 these tiny migrants to such an extent that only the 

 strongest survive the journey. Of the countless 

 thousands of birds that perish during migration, by 

 far the greater number probably succumb at sea. 

 Many instances are on record of great numbers of 

 drowned migratory birds being washed ashore, 

 especially after stormy weather. Some of these 

 tired migrants save themselves by getting a chance 

 rest on some passing ship, but the majority, espe- 

 cially when flying by night, quietly drop into the 

 remorseless sea and perish ! I have seen the 

 Nightingale [Eriihacus luscinia) rest on a steamer 

 in mid-Mediterranean, as well as the Turtle Dove 

 {Turtur auritiis) and the Quail [Cotuniix connnunis), 

 all being remarkably tame, the former perching on 

 the soldiers lying asleep on deck. These birds were 

 crossing from North Africa to Europe towards the 

 end of April, and only remained a short time with 

 us, probably because we were steaming nearly due 

 south, and therefore taking them out of their way. 

 Had there been no friendly vessel within sight on 

 which to rest, none of these birds probably would 

 ever have reached the European coast. 



The number of birds met with in the Atlantic, 

 at varying distances from the British coasts, is very 



