Migration of Birds 327 



same direction. This is a very interesting fact, apparently 

 borne out by the observations of the chroniclers on the 

 various light-ships, but it has surprised me not a little, for it 

 is astonishing to find that of all the flood of migrants which 

 I saw in Heligoland in September and October 1876, few, if 

 any, were likely to reach England, to which country many of 

 them seemed to be bound in a direct course. The story of 

 the visit which I made in company with the late Henry 

 Seebohm, has been narrated by the latter and repeated in 

 many books, but it was certainly one of those experiences, 

 the memory of which never dies. The never-ending 

 variety of incident was one of the chief features of the visit, 

 for one never knew what would happen next as regards the 

 species of bird to be encountered. Rising in the morning at 

 daybreak we used to take a long walk along the top of the 

 island among the potato- fields which covered its summit, 

 and none of us knew what bird would rise from the ground. 

 Our first shot might be at a Wood-Lark, or a Brambling, 

 while from our feet would suddenly start a Jack-Snipe or 

 an Aquatic Warbler, or a Snow Bunting. I have shot 

 all these birds on Heligoland before breakfast, and when 

 seated at our morning meal, we always had the window 

 open, and our walking-stick guns in readiness for any bird 

 which might land in the bushes in front of the house, one of 

 the advertised advantages of which was supposed to be its 

 " garden." On to these bushes would drop the little waifs 

 from their journey across the sea. Sometimes we could 

 see them making for the island, and could distinguish the 

 species before they settled, and many interesting additions 

 to our collection were made from that sitting-room 

 window. After breakfast, we would pay a visit to Aueckens, 

 the bird-stuffer, to see what birds had been brought in by 

 the natives, or we would spend the rest of the morning in 

 visiting Gatke's Museum and talking over the wonders 

 which it contained, or perhaps we might take another turn 



