A MONTH ON THE EDDYSTONE 285 



moisture is disseminated through the air as a Hquid 

 in a state of minute subdivision, the mixture becomes 

 more or less opaque, and the powerful beams from the 

 lantern then become conspicuous to a very remarkable 

 degree, and exert extraordinary attractive powers over 

 the migrants that pass within the sphere of their 

 influence. On such occasions the twelve slowly re- 

 volving rays from the Eddystone lantern presented a 

 very singular and mystifying appearance, and small 

 wonder was it that the emigrants could not resist their 

 seductions. 



My visit included a period when the nights were 

 brilliantly moonlit and cloudless, during which, no doubt, 

 great passage movements were performed. When such 

 conditions prevail the bird-watcher may rest at peace in 

 his bunk, for the migrants will speed onwards, heedless 

 of the light and probably far above it. The rays from 

 the lantern, brilliant though they be, are then quite 

 inconspicuous, and the feathered voyagers pass far 

 beyond the range of human observation. Gales were 

 not infrequent and arrested the emigratory movements. 



The first emigratory movement performed during the 

 hours of darkness which I was to witness, set in at 3 a.m. 

 on 23rd September, and lasted until 5 a.m. I say "set 

 in," because just previously to its advent the weather 

 was of such a description as to be prejudicial to, if 

 not impossible for, migration, for a south-easterly gale 

 was blowing with a velocity of from 40 to 48 miles an 

 hour. Shortly before the time named, however, the 

 wind fell to a moderate breeze, but the heavy rain still 

 continued. Almost immediately after the wind moder- 

 ated the migrants appeared in numbers. It was the 



