246 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



length of time in such counties as Berwickshire, Perthshire, 

 or the south-west of Scotland without coming under the 

 notice of capable naturalists. 



But to return. Later, in 1872, Harting (''Handbook of 

 British Birds," p. 36) arrives at similar conclusions, and sum- 

 marising the writings of previous authorities, he states the 

 case somewhat thus : — The stockdove is common and resident 

 in Norfolk, Leicestershire, Shropshire (compare here with Mr 

 A. G. More's less comprehensive " has been known to breed 

 in Shropshire ") ; resident in Bucks and Berks ; Middlesex, 

 where, however, it is more common in autumn and winter ; 

 resident and common in New Forest and Sussex, but rare in 

 Somerset and in Cornw^all, * and a winter visitant in Devon ; 

 rare winter visitor in Isle of Wight, and twice obtained in 

 Scilly. 



From these and other sources too numerous to refer to in 

 this place we glean in a general and tolerably accurate way 

 that its home and probable birth-place, as far as England is 

 concerned, is in the south-eastern counties; second, that it 

 migrates to some extent, but not wholly, west and south in 

 autumn and winter from this centre ; and we have still to 

 show in the remaining part of this essay the progressive steps 

 of another advance — the most important of all — in a northerly 

 direction, whilst extending the area of its distribution during 

 the nesting season. The probable result of this will be the 

 development of a more strongly-marked migratory instinct 

 to the south and west of its more northerly breeding distribu- 

 tion. If a latent or embryonic degree of the impulse actually 

 occurs from its centre or birth-place, it is reasonable to con- 

 clude that as it reaches northwards this instinct will be de- 

 veloped still more. 



The stockdoves came first to the south-east coast of Lin- 

 colnshire, as I am informed by Mr C. C. Tunnard, in either 

 1863 or 1864, and it increased rapidly. At the present time 

 one may see flocks of thirty, but they generally lly in parties 

 of eights and tens. Mr Tunnard adds that they appeared 

 near York a few years afterwards, and now breed round that 



* Hearle Rodd ("Birds of Cornwall"), however, speaks of large Hocks 

 being occasionally seen during the winter months. 



