328 CouES, Gatke's Heligoland. [ ;^"J^ 



lable proportion to those of the water-birds. Of the latter, the 

 main body is composed of marine Anatidai and Larida;. The 

 implication of " severe " winters is, when the Baltic and other 

 waters, which would ordinarily have their quota of sea-birds, are 

 frozen up to an extent which drives hordes of such birds else- 

 where. 



Elimination of the foregoing 16 + 5° ^ 66 species leaves us 

 the main bulk of the Heligoland list to be considered under t'le 

 two categories of (i) regular migrants and (2) accidental visitants. 

 Singular as it may seem, the latter are largely in excess of tne 

 former. Though it be quite true that a hard and fast line cannot 

 be drawn in every case between these two categories, yet it is 

 easy to separate them in most instances. The number of species 

 which seem to have no business in Heligoland, or which ought to 

 have business there but seldom attend to it, is the phenomenal 

 result of Giitke's career as an ornithological detective. I had 

 that a round 200 birds — one-half of the entire ornis, and one or 

 two more for good measure — have been found in Heligoland in 

 violation of law and order. If this shocks our conventional ideas 

 of propriety, there is still worse to be said, and we will let the 

 veteran say it at once. He is speaking of meteorological condi- 

 tions which had yielded him a batch of rarities, and continues 

 (p. 331) : "I myself feel convinced that such material as comes 

 under our observation forms only a small fraction of what is 

 really abroad under these conditions; indeed I have frequently 

 expressed myself as ready to exchange the whole of my collection, 

 wonderful as it is, for all the birds which have occurred he re 

 without having been seen or killed, if that were possible ; the only 

 reservation which I would make in this exchange being the 

 splendid example of Lanis rossii, of which I am the fortun Ue 

 owner." To feel the full force of these words, we must remember 

 that his collection is the result of 50 years' work, and represents 

 a/most every capture ever made on the island. We will proce d 

 with the list, which I will annotate in the briefest possible terms, 

 according to Giitke's indications; and it will be convenient to .'■■et 

 in double column with it the corresponding list of the regul \r 

 migrants, similarly annotated, for comparison of related speci -s 

 as far as possible. I follow the same sequence in which Glit'ce 

 treats the species : — 



