3. MIGRATION IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



Migration in its simplest form. — As Mr. Whitlock points out in his recent 

 critique on Giitke's theories (see: "The Migration of Birds" 1S97), the first 

 stage in the history of migration is probably seen in the daily journeys of certain 

 species to their feeding grounds and their return to their roosting places in the 

 evening. In P'ingland this may be particularly well observed in the Rooks and 

 their comrades, the Jackdaws; they are very methodical in their daily visits to 

 certain fields, though their movements are by no means governed with the 

 regularity and punctuality of a pendulum. This sort of thing will of course be 

 found in all animals, human or avian or other, which sleep in one spot and 

 dine in another. One of the most striking cases which we have seen from the 

 East Indies is that recorded by Dr. liagen of the large Hornbill, Cranurrhinus 

 rorrugatus, in E. Sumatra. These ill-flying birds feed by the sea and return in 

 the evening to their roosting places inland, making use of certain trees about 

 every kilometer of their way as travellers' rests. "The resting places are fixed 

 spots, and, if they are not scared, the birds may be expected with tolerable 

 certainty every evening at the appointed time" see: text p. 244). 



Local movements. — A further development of the princi]ial of migration 

 is seen where species do not spend the hours of a day but remain some weeks or 

 months in one locality, and then depart elsewhere. These movements are 

 probably common in the tropics and depend upon the abundance of certain 

 foods at these periods. Thus Meyer observed that the small Parrots, Loriculus 

 e^rilis and stigmatits. Triclioqlossus oniatus and mej/eri, visited Manado in great 

 numbers at March or, respectively, April and May, the cause being apparently 

 the flowering or fruit-bearing of certain trees; and the Sarasins found Munia 

 pallida abundant at Macassar during the rice-harvest June, July , but they personally 

 did not see them afterwards as late as September. There is much to be learnt 

 still about movements of this kind in Celebes, but it would be easy to multiply 

 instances in the Indian countries and elsewhere. Dr. E. P. Ramsay see: "Ornis" 

 1885) terms the movements of all Australian birds '"nomadic", but there are 

 also some species there which are as true migrants as those of the temperate 

 parts of the northern hemisphere see, below, p. 48). 



