IV. 



THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



By John E. Littleboy. 



Head at St. Albans, 24</t January, 1882. 



It will perhaps be remembered that I read before the members 

 of this Society, duriug our last session, a short paper on the Migra- 

 tion of Birds. The late period of the evening at which my paper 

 was read precluded the possibility of discussion, and for reasons 

 which I need not repeat, I was unable to offer it for publication in 

 the pages of our ' Transactions.' 



The subject of migration is one of general interest, and, in com- 

 pliance with the expressed wish of several of our members, I have 

 determined again to bring it before your notice. I am very con- 

 scious that I have little that is original to communicate. Those 

 who, like ourselves, are resident in the Midland Counties of 

 England, enjoy but few opportunities of observing the phenomena 

 of migration. I hope that during the past few years we have, as a 

 society, done what we could to record everything of interest that 

 has come within our reach ; but, even when this has been accom- 

 plished, we stand but on the threshold of a subject that extends 

 and widens in every direction around ns, and we find ourselves 

 mainly dependent for information on the observations and investi- 

 gations of a few enthusiastic naturalists who have unsparingly 

 devoted both their time and talents to ornithological research, and 

 to whom our best thanks are due. 



It is stated by Mr. Harting * that 395 distinct species of birds 

 have been recognised as occurring within the British Isles. Of 

 these about 130 are residents, 100 periodical migrants, and 30 

 annual visitants, the period of whose arrival and departure it is 

 impossible to predicate with certainty, the remainder, in number 

 about 135, being rare and accidental visitants. Mr. Harting 

 considers that "those species which rear their young annually in 

 the British Islands, and are to be found in some part or other of 

 the United Kingdom throughout the year," may fairly be defined 

 as "resident"; and it follows, from the data just given, that 

 only about 33 per cent, of our British avifauna can be classed under 

 this head. When it is remembered that there are several species 

 among those termed resident, which are, in reality, semi-migrant in 

 their habits, and that almost all of those which are strictly resi- 

 dent with us, are migratory elsewhere, the marvellous prevalence 

 of the wandering propensity that exists among birds becomes con- 

 spicuously evident. In confirmation of this fact I will quote a few 

 lines from the report of a Committee appointed for the purpose of 

 obtaining observations on the migration of birds at lighthouses and 

 lightships, read at the recent York meeting of the British Associ- 



* ' Handbook of British Birds,' p. v. 



