22 STUDIES IN BIRD-MIGRATION 



at sea. Few fell on board, unless the night was still, 

 and then chiefly those which struck the lantern with 

 considerable force, and fell like stones below. 



Seen from the deck, the three beams from the lantern 

 appeared to be thrown towards the surface of the 

 surrounding waters at an angle of 45°. The birds — 

 brilliant glistening objects — seemed to ascend, as it 

 were, these streams of light by a series of short jerky 

 flaps performed by wings which appeared to be only 

 half spread for flight. Some of them paused when 

 within a short distance of the lantern, remaining 

 almost stationary, as if to sun themselves in the radiance 

 of the slowly passing beam. Others were bolder and 

 approached the light more closely, but ere they reached 

 it spread their tails like fans, in order to check, at the 

 last moment, their perilous onward course, and then 

 sheered off, returning in a moment or two to repeat the 

 performance. This spreading of the tail was a pleasing 

 trait, especially in the Wheatear, whose black-and-white 

 rectrices formed a very pretty fan. Others, again, 

 approached the light gently, and either fluttered against 

 the glass, or, as was particularly the case with the 

 Starling, perched on the iron frame-work of the lantern- 

 windows and seemed to revel in the light. In this 

 respect the Starling differed from the rest, and when one 

 brilliant beam had passed, the bird craned its neck and 

 appeared to gaze longingly towards the next, which was 

 slowly approaching. Indeed, the actions of the Starling 

 in particular showed the birds under the spell of some 

 overpowering fascination. A number of the visitors 

 made their ddbttt with a wild dash for the light, and 

 these, if they struck the glass direct, were killed out- 

 right ; while if the contact were made obliquely, they 



