262 STUDIES IN BIRD-MIGRATION 



I am of opinion that these migrants are chiefly 

 composed of our winter guests from the Continent, for 

 careful observations made during seasons of exceptional 

 severity, lead me to believe that most of our resident 

 stock do not leave their usual haunts, but may be seen 

 daily on the approach of dusk proceeding in numbers to 

 their usual winter roosts. 



Spring Movements of British Starlings. — These are 

 return migrations of the Starlings which have wintered in 

 our isles to their British nesting-homes. These take 

 place in February and the early days of March, and do 

 not call for further notice. 



Spring Immigration from Southern Europe and 

 Passage to Northern and Central Europe. — The spring 

 immigrations of the Starling include the return of (i) 

 British summer visitors, of (2) the birds of passage on 

 their way north and east from their accustomed winter 

 quarters in South-Western Europe, and of (3) the refugees 

 which have been forced to flee our country through the 

 pressure of winter conditions. 



The first Starlings to appear on the southern coast- 

 Hne of England are probably those birds which quitted 

 our shores earliest in the autumn — namely, the British 

 summer visitors, which return to their breeding- 

 haunts about the time that the first of the spring 

 immigrants arrive on the south coast — i.e., usually during 

 the last week in February.^ These return movements 



1 The earliest record is for 19th February 1903, when great numbers 

 passed the Eddystone in flocks, coming from the south and south-south- 

 east. They began to arrive at 7 P.M., and the passage lasted, with breaks, 

 until 5 A.M. Many were killed at the lantern, and great numbers struck 

 and fell over into the sea. The other species participating in this great 

 return movement were Mistle-Thrushes, Song-Thrushes, Skylarks, Lapwings, 

 and others not identified. 



