Mr. E. A. S. Elliot on the Godwits. 569 



migration, and that the numbers seen in winter bear the 

 same relation to those seen with us at that time. 



As regards the distribution of the Godwits, Seebohm gives 

 the following hypothetical explanation in his 'Monograph 

 of the Charadriidse ' : — " Ancient routes of migration. — The 

 Bar-tailed Godwit emigrated through Behring Straits, the 

 ancestors of L. fedoa following the American coast, and those 

 of L. uropygialis the Asiatic coast. The descendants of the 

 latter gradually extended their range westwards until in 

 post-glacial times the European examples were more or 

 less isolated and differentiated from their Asiatic confreres 

 and became L. rufa. The Black-tailed Godwits represent 

 the party which chose the Atlantic route, the ancestors of 

 L. beJgica having followed the Atlantic coast of Europe. The 

 latter gradually extended their range into Asia, and in post- 

 glacial times the Eastern examples were more or less isolated 

 aad differentiated from their fellows, and have now become 

 L. melanuroides." 



That the flocks that come to us in April and those that 

 arrive in May have wintered in degrees of longitude far 

 apart is worthy of credence, because even when the interval 

 of their arrival may be only a couple of weeks, yet one flock 

 is still in winter dress (not immature only) and the other in 

 the most perfect summer plumage. That the birds composing 

 these flocks do not associate I have definite evidence, for in 

 1896 the birds that had arrived in April remained a longer 

 time than usual, owing to a stiff" easterly wind that came on 

 and which brought us a large flock of red birds some ten 

 days after the winter-pluraaged birds had arrived. These 

 two flocks kept entirely separate the few days they were in 

 the estuary together, and did not associate in any way, as I 

 had ample opportunity of ascertaining. Sometimes birds 

 are met with singly (as a rule late in spring or during 

 summer), of a very pale ash-grey; these are, I think, very 

 old or sick birds, with not sufficient vitality left either to 

 assume summer plumage or to follow the flocks to their 

 Arctic breeding-haunts. 



The Eastern representative of the Bar-tailed Godwit, on 



