A MONTH ON THE EDDYSTONE 287 



travelling directly up the beams of light ; but a number 

 of them flew high and passed over the dome. The 

 emigrants came from the north and continued to arrive 

 and pass on until 5 a.m., but before the appearance of 

 dawn all had passed southwards. 



This rush was evidently composed of departing 

 British summer visitors, spurred to move southwards by 

 the very unsettled weather of the previous few days. I 

 witnessed no second movement of a precisely similar 

 nature, though, no doubt, other flittings away of our 

 summer birds followed ; but the nights were brilliantly 

 fine, and the migrants passed unobserved. On this 

 occasion the lantern was attractive to the birds by 

 reason of its rays being rendered unusually conspicuous 

 as they streamed out on the thick rain which prevailed. 



This movement was followed by several minor 

 emigrations by night : that is to say, they were less 

 important so far as they came under observation. 



On 30th September, at 9.30 p.m., following a 

 lifting of fog (wind E.S.E., moderate breeze, hazy), 

 *Song-Thrushes, *Meadow-Pipits, ^Chaffinches, and 

 other undetermined species appeared. The movement 

 ceased to be observed on the appearance of the moon 

 at 10.45 P-^i- 



isl October. — Numbers of * Meadow- Pipits passing 

 from 2 A.M. to 5 A.M. (wind S., moderate breeze). At 

 night, on the rolling away of fog at 9.45 and during 

 intervals of light rain up to 11. 15, ^Starlings and 

 *Wheatears appeared at the lantern (wind S., moderate 

 breeze, cloudy). 



loth October. — After a gale of three and a half days' 

 duration, the night of the 9th was clear and starlit, with 

 a gentle breeze from the N.N.W. ; at 2 a.m. the sky 



