BIRD MIGRATION. 9 



warm day, a fog bank drifted in. shrouding everything on the Point, but not 

 entirely obscurinjif the stars which twinkled dimly overhead. On reaching- 

 the top of the lower I found five dead M^arblers on the platform, and for the 

 half hour immediatel}' following birds struck hard and rapidly. There were 

 seldom more than three or four in siffht at anv one time, but thev did not 

 dally with the danger as on former occa.sions. but flew directh- at the 

 lantern. There was little wind, and thej' came equally from every side. I 

 caught and picked up about twenty-five, the majority Gcothlvpis trichas and 

 Dendroica maculosa, with Vireo olivaceus next in numbers, but much fewer. 

 Besides these I examined one each of Dendroica civntlescens, D. castanea, 

 Parula atncricana, and Turdiis szvainsoni. 



Sept. 8. Night perfectly clear up to ten o'clock when I went to bed. At 

 daylight the next morning it was raining hard, and I found a wounded 

 Geothlypis trichas at the base of the light-house, and on the upper platform 

 a Vireo olivaceus and an Erexmetcs fiisillus, both dead. 



Sept. 9. Night dark as pitch, with strong, chill east wind, and heavy 

 rain at intervals. At eight o'clock tv\'o or three birds began skimming warily 

 about the light, but none struck, and they soon disappeared. After ten 

 o'clock there was not a bird in sight or hearing. 



Sept. 13. — Night cloudy and dark. Wind west, blowing strongh*. A 

 few birds appeared around the light at nine o'clock, and remained there 

 during the succeeding two hours, four or five striking, but only one (a Den- 

 droica maculosa) being disabled. Most of the time they kept well to lee- 

 ward of the lantern, breasting the wind with difficulty. 



Tlie above records are taken without essential change from tlie corner ol 

 my note book devoted to " birds about the light." They include everything 

 of importance in that department, but in connection with them I have also 

 consulted another set of notes relating to the diurnal presence or movements 

 of birds at Point Lepreaux. Taking both records into account I find that : 



(i) No birds came about the lantern except during denselv cloudy or 

 foggy weather. 



(2) That they came in the greatest numbers when the night for the first 

 hour or two was clear and free from fog. 



(3) That with a single exception all the nights on which the heav\' 

 flights occurred were preceded by clear, cool days. 



The exception just mentioned was the night of September i, which was 

 preceded by a densely foggy day. During this day, however, the woods 

 over the entire Point were literally swarming with small b'rds which must 

 have arrived about da3'break, and which were undoubtedly encouraged to 

 push on by the disappearance of the fog at sunset. Perhaps the}' found 

 the covers of the Point uncongenial or poorly supplied with food, and were 

 intending merely to cross to the opposite mainland when they were stopped 

 by the fascination of the light. 



