262 THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



between India and South Africa! We might here 

 also allude to the interesting fact of several birds 

 being regular summer migrants to France and 

 Holland, and yet never visiting the British Islands, 

 except perhaps as stragglers on abnormal flight. 

 The Great Reed Warbler (^Acroceplialus turdoides) 

 and the Blue-headed Wagtail [MotacillaJIava) may 

 be cited as particularly good instances of birds 

 common enough across the English Channel, yet 

 as rare in our islands. I am of opinion that these 

 birds did not extend their emigrations or migrations 

 so far north in Western Europe before our islands 

 became detached from continental land ; they are 

 more recent emigrants which found the English 

 Channel a barrier to any further western extension. 

 There are one or two other matters to which we 

 must allude ere dismissing the present subject. 

 First, it may be as well to glance at the Cross 

 Migration taking place in autumn, just as we 

 remarked it in spring, only of course the direction 

 is exactly reversed. A very interesting instance of 

 this peculiar Flight is reported on the 17th of 

 October, 1885, from the Isle of May Lighthouse in 

 the Firth of Forth. We cannot do better than let 

 Mr. Agnew the light-keeper speak for himself. 

 " A great rush of migrants at Isle of May. The 

 Woodcock was killed on the S.E. side, and 

 the other birds on the N.W. side. Thus the 

 migrants have been exactly meeting one another; 

 and this is just as I would have expected — the 

 Woodcocks coming to us, and the others leaving 



