MIGRATION IN THE BRITISH ISIAXDS. 239 



Avian Season Flight may be witnessed upon them. 

 They are the summer quarters of vast numbers of 

 birds ; the winter rendezvous of others. They are 

 situated on the direct fly-hnes of many northern 

 birds that pass over them in spring and in autumn 

 to breeding-grounds in the Arctic regions and to 

 winter haunts in the Tropics. They are visited by 

 birds that fly north during the Antipodean winter; 

 by birds that come from the far East, and not a 

 few from the trans-Atlantic West. Much Nomadic 

 Migration breaks upon them ; whilst the rare birds 

 obtained on abnormal flight within their area equals, 

 if it docs not exceed, in number and in interest, the 

 occurrences in any other part of the world. Not 

 only so, but Migration in the British Islands is of 

 an unusually diverse character, remarkably universal, 

 and subject to all those fluctuating incidents that 

 until the last few years were presumed to be peculiar 

 to one European station alone. The fact is, Migra- 

 tion was never studied in our islands at all, except in 

 the most cursory manner, until two British ornitho- 

 logists, Messrs. J. A. Harvie-Brown and J. Cordeaux, 

 went to work in the only practical way, by enlisting 

 the aid of persons stationed at lighthouses and light- 

 vessels, and best situated for watching and reporting 

 the Season Flight of Birds. British naturalists are 

 very deeply indebted to these gentlemen, for it 

 is to their labours that the systematic study of 

 Migration in the British Islands is almost entirely 

 due. For several years unaided they published 

 returns on Mi2:ration from numerous stations round 



