80 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



winter and summer retreats; to the list of Summer Visitors we 

 should have added the Arctic Skua. We do not think that the 

 winter-range of the Yellow Wagtail extends to South Africa, 

 or that the Red-necked Phalarope is frequent in south-west 

 Europe in winter. To the list of partial migrants might be 

 added the Rock-Pipit and Tree-Sparrow. The third appendix 

 gives a list of Winter Visitors, and to this list we should add 

 the Black-headed Gull : though they jirohably occiu-. we know 

 of no records so far of the Continental forms of Goldfinch and 

 Hedge- Accentor being found in winter in our area ; appendix 

 IV. gives a full list of the ])irds of passage, with the seasonal 

 distribution indicating their origin and destination. 



Chapter IV. is one of the most interesting ones in Vol. I. 

 and deals with the various routes of the varied migrations 

 traceable in our islands : these results, we are sure, are founded 

 on a mass of well-digested statistics, and are plainly and 

 concisely written ; many of these routes are in detail almost 

 impossible to prove, or on the other hand to disprove, but 

 further investigation in the future may, we think, in some 

 cases confirm, amplify, or modify them. For example, is it 

 quite certain that all birds of passage to the north in spring, 

 after arriving on our south coast, pass up the east and west 

 coast lines only and do not pass through the country inland ? 

 Then again the routes of departure of British emigrants 

 are given in some detail, but it appears to us to be almost 

 impossible to differentiate some of these from those of birds 

 of passage ; further, we cannot quite agree that these migra- 

 tions of our departing summer hh-ds are much in evidence; 

 it is true for some species, but many, and especially the insec- 

 tivorous Passeres, slip away unnoticed. Mr. Clarke's researches 

 have led him to believe that in the great east to west move- 

 ments in autumn, the flights are to the W. at the mouth of the 

 Thames, to the N.W. or NN.W. on the Suffolk coast, and to 

 the S.W. or SS.W. on the Kentish coast ; though many vm- 

 doubtedly follow this course we think that future investigation 

 will show that these flights are not rigidly adhered to. 



In the next three chapters the author takes us through a 

 year of migration, and describes in a clear and readable way 

 for each month what birds are moving, whither they are bound, 

 and to what group of migrants they belong. In passing we 

 may note that the occurrence of such species in February as 

 the Nightjar and Tree-Pipit, even if correctly identified, must 

 be so occasional as to be best omitted. We see no mention 

 made of what is on the east coast a very pronounced migration 

 in April qi partial migrants travelling north; such species 

 include Linnet, Tree-Sparrow, Greenfinch, etc. The author 



