112 THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS 



observed at Old Colwyn on the Welsh coast. I do 

 not even suggest that these were the same birds 

 which passed over south-eastern Ireland, but their 

 presence within so short a time, indicates the volume 

 of the movement. 



Welsh papers recorded an " Extraordinary 

 feathered catastrophe '' at Pwllheli in Cardigan 

 Bay which occurred on the night of March 17th, 

 1904, in which " thousands " of birds fell dead and 

 dying upon the town and shore. The journalistic 

 description was lurid, but I am able to give the 

 explanation sent to me by a friend who was an 

 eye-witness. The night had been dark and foggy, 

 and in the morning he found ' scores of dead 

 starlings, redwings, thrushes and blackbirds lying 

 on the beach at high- water mark." During the 

 night a steamer had been loading setts at the quarry 

 at the Gimlet Rock, a large outcrop outside the 

 harbour, and the artificial light used had been one 

 of the powerful oil flares. The fog- bewildered 

 birds were led astray and had struck masts, rigging, 

 and rock in their confusion. 



During a big fire in Philadelphia on March 27th, 

 1906, Mr W. Stone saw large numbers of birds 

 passing in its illumination, and many passed too 

 near and fell into the blaze ; he picked up a few 

 half-burnt song sparrows and j uncos. 



Blizzards on continents, and to a less extent snow- 



