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MIGRATION NOTES FROM HOLY ISLAND, 

 NORTHUMBERLAND, AUTUMN, 1912. 



BY 

 H. F. WITHERBY. 



Although not an ideal place for observing migration, 

 Holy Island or Lindisfarne is no doubt as good as some of 

 the best places on the mainland. At low tide one can 

 walk almost dr\^shod over the sands from Holy Island 

 to the mainland, and the island Hes inside a curve in the 

 coast, so that it has not the advantages of isolation 

 possessed by such noted stations as Fair Isle and the Isle 

 of May. In shape it is roughly circular, the cultivated 

 area of about 500 acres being broadly margined half way 

 round M'ith bent-covered sand-dunes which continue in 

 the north-east corner in the shape of a long tongue 

 pointing towards the mainland. 



From September 8th to October 18th, 1912, I watched 

 carefully for migrants on Holy Island every daj^, and from 

 September 14th to 25th I had the very able assistance 

 of Miss A. C. Jackson, whose extraordinary keenness and 

 energy make her entitled to a far larger share in the 

 observations made between those dates than can be 

 claimed by me. 



I wish here to express my gratitude to Mr. Morley 

 Crossman, the owner of Holy Island, for most kindly 

 granting me freedom to trespass where I wished, and 

 without this kind permission very little indeed could have 

 been done. I am also greatly indebted to Mr. George 

 Bolam and Mr. W. J. Bolam, through whose kind offices 

 this all-important permission was obtained. 



One hundred and four species and subspecies in all 

 were observed in or around the island during our stay, 

 and of these I do not think that more than thirty could 

 be claimed as residents ; a considerable number, such as 

 the geese, ducks, waders and gulls, were winter-visitors, 

 while over forty were observed as passage-migrants 

 through the island. 



