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THURSDAY, APRIL 2ist, 1904. 
Che Birds of Brighton and 
Neighbourhood. 
BY 
Mr. E. ROBINSON. 
T the outset, Mr. Robinson remarked that the neighbourhood 
of Brighton, despite the enormous number of telegraph 
and telephone wires which always proved a fruitful source of 
destruction to bird life, was really a good place to pursue the 
study of ornithology. The town possessed an unique Bird 
Museum, bequeathed to it by the late Mr. E. T. Booth, and 
several rare species had been either seen or captured both in the 
precincts of the town and in the neighbouring districts; e.g., 
spoonbills, storks, little bitterns, White’s thrush, woodcocks, 
landrails, &c. He then drew attention to the difficult question of 
the “Phases of colouration” in birds. In most feathered fowls 
the change is effected by a complete moult ; with the bunting 
family and some of the finches, a light edging grows on the 
plumes which hides the brighter colours beneath its fringe ; as 
_ spring approaches the tips are gradually shed so that the under- 
lying tints are revealed. 
Mr. J. G. Millais in a paper in the /éis of 1896 showed 
that as regards some birds, e.g., ‘‘ Sclavonian Grebe,” as the old 
feathers gradually ‘‘blush”’ the new ones assimilate themselves 
during their growth to the changing old ones. Again, among the 
_ waders is the “ Sanderling”—a bird which adopts a complete 
recolouration of the feathers in new form, only a few being 
moulted and replaced by the summer ones—-the change is 
wrought not by the grey edges of the feathers wearing off but by 
the colouring matter moving down and obliterating the white ; 
after this the edge wears off, causing its form to be completely 
altered. These changes the Lecturer illustrated by carefully 
drawn diagrams. 
The Lecturer then considered the much discussed question 
of “ Migration,” most of our present knowledge of which we 
~ owe to the labours of the Migration Committee of the Brirish 
