I38 Allen, Gatke's -Heligoland: [ April 



thology. Hence it is natural that his book of over 600 pages, 

 giving a detailed record of his observations and experiences, and 

 of his views on bird migration, its causes and methods, should be 

 hailed with delight by a wide circle of ornithological readers. As 

 Herr Gatke has been awarded honorary membership in all of the 

 leading ornithological societies of the world, it is perhaps not 

 strange that his utterances on the ' mysterious ' problems of 

 bird life should be accepted as little short of oracular, and his 

 statements taken at nearly their face value, without special scru- 

 tiny or criticism, by a large majority of his readers. 



Indeed, ' Heligoland ' has been pronounced by an ornitholo- 

 gist of high standing to be " one of the most original, most 

 remarkable, and most valuable books ever written about birds.'' 

 That it is original and remarkable no one will deny; as to its 

 value there is easily room for difference of opinion. Herr Gatke's 

 observations, it may be well to remember, have been limited to 

 an almost barren island of less than a square mile in extent, with 

 conditions necessarily exceptional, but of such a character as to 

 give highly favorable opportunities for the study of certain features 

 of the migratory movements of birds. But the fact that the con- 

 ditions are unusual, and the field extremely limited, renders it 

 questionable whether or not the conclusions of a single observer 

 based thereon should outweigh the sum of all other observations 

 made elsewhere, and the inferences and hypotheses of hundreds 

 of excellent observers who have investigated the subject in other 

 lands. Yet if we take Herr Gatke at his own estimate, observa- 

 tions made outside of Heligoland are to be discredited as in 

 some way faulty or erroneous, if they fail to agree with those of 

 the Oracle of Heligoland. At least, as one of his admirers puts it, 

 " the most conspicuous result of his insistence upon the facts in 

 the case is rank iconoclasm. He smashes our idols right and left ; 

 he leaves us at the mercy of our fables, helpless for lack of gods 

 to supplicate, for he sets up none of his own in their places " 

 (Auk, XII, p. 343)- In other words, on most points he takes 

 issue with what may be termed the general consensus of opinion 

 of ornithologists, affirming that they are wrong while he must be 

 right, or else declaring that all previous opinions and hypotheses 

 are not only without foundation, but the point at issue is a riddle 



