Aliirration in the Northern Shires. 271 



passing over Britain to winter homes in South 

 Europe and Africa. There can be little doubt, 

 however, that many individual Whitethroats, Willow 

 Wrens, Spotted Flycatchers, and Turtle Doves 

 move south from their summer haunts in the north- 

 ern shires during August. During this month the 

 Swift and the Cuckoo leave us, although some few 

 of the latter may remain into September. Speaking 

 of Swifts brings to mind a very extraordinary migra- 

 tion of this species that we witnessed in the early 

 part of August, 1879, on the Yorkshire coast at 

 Flamborough. There must have been tens of 

 thousands of birds passing down the coast just 

 below the lighthouse; all day the birds kept migrat- 

 ing on in a leisurely sort of way, feeding as they 

 went, and a very large percentage consisted of 

 young ones. During late August many bands of 

 Terns migrate south along the Yorkshire coast, not 

 only from the Fame Islands, but from more northern 

 stations still. 



During September most of our own summer 

 migrants disappear, but the Ring-ouzel, the Wliin- 

 chat, and the W'heatear prolong their passage into 

 October, as also does the Whitethroat, the Chiff- 

 chaff, the Willow Wren, the Sedge Warbler, the 

 Swallows and Martins, the Common Sandpiper, and 

 some others, but all in a more or less exceptional 

 manner. Up to the end of this month birds are 



