AUTUMN MIGRATION IN BRITISH AREA 265 



continental areas is more or less of a desultory charac- 

 ter. During the latter half of that month it suddenly 

 assumes a stronger aspect, culminating in a grand and 

 mighty influx of birds, young predominating, lasting 

 almost incessantly for perhaps a fortnight ; then a lull 

 occurs for a week or so ; then another grand wave of 

 not quite the same magnitude and duration, adults 

 predominating, breaks upon our eastern sea-board, 

 spreading perceptibly right across England to Ireland ; 

 after which the great flight is spent, resuming only in 

 a fitful manner or entirely ceasing, as much of Eastern 

 Europe and Western Asia become drained of most of 

 their hardiest non-insectivorous birds. The birds that 

 chiefly partake in this late migration from eastern areas 

 are tabulated on a previous page [conf. p. 132). We 

 have already dwelt at some length on the origin of this 

 movement. A few remarks on its general character will 

 now be all that is required. So far as numbers are 

 concerned this eastern passage is the most important 

 migration that breaks upon the British coasts in autumn. 

 The number of species normally is not great. Night 

 and day the steady inrush of migrants is constant and 

 prodigious. For weeks birds may be remarked pouring 

 into our islands by day and by night, or by day or night 

 alone, the migration of each particular species varying 

 considerably from year to year, sometimes being com- 

 pleted in a few weeks, sometimes continuing over as 

 many months. Three of the most remarkable species 

 performing this east to west migration in autumn are 

 the Hooded Crow, the Goldcrest, and the Sky Lark ; 

 we might also add the Starling. For days and days 

 together, sometimes, a nearly constant stream pours 

 into the British Islands from the east. In 1S82 it was 



