Mr. H. Seebohm on the Ornithology of Heligoland. 159 



when, given the necessary wind and weather^ its appearance 

 may be confidently expected. 



The period of migration of each species lasts about a month. 

 In spring the males come first^ then the females, then last- 

 year birds, and finally the cripples — birds which have lost their 

 toeSj birds with half a tail, birds with one mandible abnor- 

 mally long, or birds with some other defect. Mr. Cordeaux 

 has fallen into an error in saying (Ibis, 1875, p. 174) that this 

 holds good both in spring and autumn ; in autumn the order 

 of migration is partially reversed. Astounding as the fact is, 

 it is nevertheless true that in autumn the birds of the year 

 are the first to migrate, birds which, of course, have never mi- 

 grated before. This may account for the number of species 

 which visit our shores and Heligoland in autumn only. It is 

 not to be wondered at that on their first journey, and with- 

 out a guide, they should stray somewhat out of the direct 

 course. 



By long practice the Heligolanders know when to expect 

 an arrival of birds. The 12th Oct. was a very unfavourable 

 day. There were scarcely half a dozen birds on the island. 

 This unfavourable weather had lasted nearly a week. I used 

 to take a constitutional round the island with my gun twice 

 or thrice a day, spending most of the rest of the time in Mr, 

 Gaetke^s studio chatting about his birds, visiting regularly 

 Aeuckens the bird-stuffer, to inquire if any one else had had 

 better luck. On the 1 1th I shot three Shore-Larks. Aeuckens 

 told me that that was a very good sign, that he had often noticed 

 that a few birds always preceded the favourable weather, and 

 that we might expect a change and plenty of birds soon. 

 The next day the west wind slackened a little. In the after- 

 noon it was a calm. In the evening Mr. Oaetke advised me to 

 go to bed early and be up before sunrise, as birds were ex- 

 pected. Accordingly I turned into bed soon after ten. At 

 half past twelve I was awoke with the news that the migration 

 had already begun. Hastily dressing myself, I at once made 

 for the lighthouse. The night was almost pitch dark, but the 

 town was all astir. In every street men with large lanterns 

 and a sort of angler^s landing-net were "making for the light- 



