A MONTH ON KENTISH KNOCK LIGHTSHH^ 5 



was almost intolerable. My only consolation on these 

 occasions was the knowledge that I missed nothing, 

 bird-migration being impossible. However, I enjoyed 

 the best of health while on board, and the almost 

 incessant watchfulness necessary for the successful 

 prosecution of my work rendered my sojourn free from 

 that extreme tediousness which would otherwise have 

 been inseparable from residence in such a vessel. 



I sailed from Blackwall in the Trinity tender " Vestal " 

 on the morning of 15th September, and, after visiting 

 the various lightships and **pile" lighthouses within the 

 Thames estuary, and the outlying Galloper lightship, 

 was placed on board the Kentish Knock lightship at 

 noon on 17th September, and remained there until i8th 

 October. 



I found the bird-migration at the Kentish Knock 

 of a very varied and complex nature, in which respect it 

 is probably not surpassed by any other station on or off 

 the British coasts. The ship lies about the centre of a 

 broad junction where many lines of flight cross each 

 other — a result of the close approximation of the 

 British and Continental land masses just to the south of 

 it. Here, in addition to (i) the extensive movements 

 (I speak of those of the autumn, the spring migrations 

 being in an opposite direction) of immigrants from east 

 to west and south-south-west and north-west, there are 

 (2) movements of a similar nature from south - east to 

 north-west, and (3) of birds of passage along the first- 

 named route ; while (4) emigrants, including many birds 

 of passage, pass from north to south-south-west, and (5) 

 from north-west to south-east. There appeared to be no 

 Continental migration whatever from points north of east. 

 It will thus be realised that much ''cross-migration" takes 

 II. A 2 



