THESES FROM LITERATURE. 



the Lighthouse does not stand. The hght of Lighthouses therefore has 

 a diverting eiieci, and does not show the original direction, which seems 

 very natural. I always think of the street-and garden-lamps, the light of 

 which attracts various Insects sometimes in myriads, without showing 

 us the true nature of their night-life. And therefore 1 am not sure, 

 whether the great sacrifice of Eagle Clarke,* his voluntary exile on 

 the Eddystone Lighthouse, to study the nightphases of Migration, has 

 yielded absolute phaenological results? But even if it had the results 

 are only of local importance. 



Generally it is my firm opinion that all observations concerning 

 England must be worked out methodically in their whole extent, in 

 order to bring to light their hidden value The „Reports on Migration' 

 contain treasures of investigations from shore and Lighthouses,for which 

 we are indebted to the zeal of such excellent men as Harvie-Brown, 

 CoRDEAUX, Barrington, More and Eagle-Clarke, whose merits 

 are for ever connected with Bird-Migration. It is not to be doubted 

 that the right man will be found, to work up the whole material uni- 

 formly, an immense material, of which we get an idea when we think 

 of the observations on Cuculuscanorus in the MARSHAM-family.** And 

 let us not forget Derham, the creator of Ornithophaenology, nearly 

 two centuries ago! (Philos. Transactions London 1708). In working 

 out all this material, we should get a very good history of observations 

 on Bird Migration in the United Kingdom, a work of the greatest im- 

 portance for all concerned in this most interesting branch of orni- 

 thological science. 



Most likely there is still valuable material, which remains unpub- 

 lished. The labels on thousands of Bird-skins in the British-Museum, 



* „A month on the Eddystone: a Study in Bird Migration". Ibis for April 1902. And: 

 Studies in Bird, migration II ... at the Kentish-Knoch Lightship in the Autumn of 1903. 

 Ibis 1904 p. 112—142. Tab. 4. 



•* From 1739 to iSioand again from 1836—1840 and 1845 to 1904 Cf. Southwell: , .Trans. 

 Norf. and Norwich Nat. Soc." II. p. 31. 



ezi 33 !Zi 



