Sept. 29, 1887] 



NATURE 



517 



thoroughfare for birds in transit across England to Ireland in the 

 autumn. Large numbers of migrants also which pass inland 

 from the coasts of Holderness and Lincolnshire may eventually 

 join in with this great western highway by the line of the Trent, 

 avoiding altogether the mountainous districts of Wales. The 

 Norfolk seaboard between Cromer and Yarmouth and the corre- 

 sponding lightvessels show a large annual immigration, but the 

 returns are much less, and comparatively meagre between Yar- 

 mouth and Orfordness. The coast of Essex, with the northern 

 side of the Thames, is fairly good ; but the coast of Kent, be- 

 tween the North and South Forelands, including the four Good- 

 win and the Varne Lightships, is a barren and pre-eminently 

 uninteresting district for arrivals, both as regards numbers and 

 species, the chief migrants seen being such as are apparently 

 following the c^ast to the south. 



Such migrants, both local and otherwise, which in the autumn 

 follow the east coast from north to south, seem, as a rule, to 

 pass directly from the Spurn to the Lincolnshire coast without 

 entering the Humb?r ; and there are no indications that they 

 follow the shores of the Wash in and out, but shape their course 

 from about Gibraltar Point to the Norfolk coast. The well-filled 

 schedules sent in annually from the Shipwash, Swin Middle, 

 Kentish Knock, and Galloper Lightships, indicate that a stream 

 passes from the south-east coast of Suffolk across the North Sea 

 in the line of these stations, to and from the Continent, both in 

 the spring and autumn. 



Autumn migrants approaching the Humber from the sea do 

 not appear to follow the course of the river into the interior, that 

 is, from south-east to north-west. The line would seem to cross 

 the river diagonally, and is from east-south-ea';t to west-north- 

 west. This course is so persistently followed that year by year, 

 on sjch days when migration is visible, birds are observed to 

 cross the same fields and at the same angle. Supposing this 

 course to be continued, they would strike the Trent at or near 

 Gainsborough. 



Much information has been obtained from the legs and wings 

 sent in the envelopes provided for that purpose ; and by this 

 means already several rare and unusual wanderers have been 

 recorded, not the least interesting being the occurrence of a 

 small Asiatic species, the yellow-browed warbler, at Sumburgh 

 Head, Shetland, on September 25, and an immature example of 

 the American red -winged starling, at 3 a.m. on October 27, at 

 the Nash Lighthouse, Bristol Channel. This station, situated 

 on the coast of Glamorgan and on the north side of the Bristol 

 Channel, lies directly in the track of the great highway followed 

 by migrants from England to Ireland. The black redstart was 

 killed at the Nash Lighthouse on the night of October 29 ; and 

 another interesting occurrence was that of the green wood- 

 pecker, seen on October 26, with many other birds at sunrise 

 passing to the south-east.^ The black redstart was also received 

 from the Fastnet, co. Cork, found dead on October 30. It is 

 also recorded at four other stations on the south coast of Ireland, 

 and its regular occurrence in the winter on the south and east 

 coasts of that island has now been fully established by this 

 inquiry. The regular occurrence in migration of the black red- 

 start both off and on the east coast of England, as well as the 

 example from the Nash Lighthouse, are suggestive of the route 

 followed annually by some small portion of this Continental 

 species, which curiously select as their winter quarters the south- 

 west coasts of the British Islands. P>om the Irish coasts the 

 rarities received were numerous, including the second Irish speci- 

 men of the wryneck from Arran Island, co. Galway, killed 

 striking at 2 a.m. on October 6. From the Tearaght, co. Kerry, 

 a pied flycatcher was caught at the lantern, September 21, the 

 species only having once before occurred in Ireland — in April 

 1875. The repeated occurrence of the corncrake, several miles 

 from shore — killed striking against lanterns between 100 to 200 

 feet above sea-level — must satisfy the sceptical that this well- 

 known species can fly at a high level with great power and 

 velocity. The waterrail, which seems so unwilling to fly, was 

 received from the Fastnet and Tuskar on October 26 and 28 ; 

 also from Spurn Lightvessel, November I, one ; Llyn Wells 

 Lightvessel, November 4, two ; and Coquet Island Lighthouse, 



' Mr. H. Nicholas, of the Nash [East] Lighthouse, under date of 

 September 3, has recorded an enormous arrival of small birds— the greatest 

 number ever seen there at any one time. These include four nightjars at 

 2.10 a.m., one killed ; fifteen to twenty common buntings from 2.15 to 3 a.m., 

 eight killed ; fifty to sixty greater whitethroats from 2.15 to 3 a.m., twenty- 

 four killed ; twenty to thirty wiliow wrens from 2.30 to 3.20 a.m., seventeen 

 killed ; six young cuckoos at 3 a.m., two killed ; fourteen house sparrows 

 and one robin killed at 3 a.m. ; thirty to forty wheatears at 3.10 a.m., two 

 killed ; three blackbirds from 3 to 3.15 a.m., one killed. 



same date, one ; showing a widely extended migratory move- 

 ment of this species during the la.st week in October and early ia 

 November. 



The great spotted woodpecker occurred in considerable 

 numbers in the eastern counties of Scotland about the middle of 

 October. Almost all the specimens examined were either old 

 birds or with very slight traces of immaturity. This immigration 

 extended southward to the coast districts of Lincolnshire, where 

 very considerable numbers were obtained in the autumn and 

 winter. 



At Rathlin O'Birne (West Donegal) immense flocks of birds 

 — starlings, thrushes, and fieldfares — passed westixovn December 

 18 to 23. The nearest land to the west of this rocky island is 

 America. This is not an isolated occurrence. The westerly 

 flight of land-birds at stations off the west coast of Ireland has 

 been noticed on other occasions ; the movement is apparently as 

 reckless as that of the lemmings. 



The autumnal passage of quails from England is shown by 

 their occurrence at the Smalls Lighthouse, September 3, and the 

 Eddystone on October 5 ; also a wing from the Shipwash Light- 

 vessel, off the Essex coast, obtained on October 26. 



An enormous rush of immigrants is recorded from the east 

 coast of England on October 4, 5, and 6, with easterly and 

 south-easterly winds, pressure system cyclonic, but the adverse 

 meteorological conditions during this period slowly passing away. 

 Much fog and thick weather at the time, which in a great 

 measure may account for the immense numbers of birds seen at 

 the lanterns of lighthouses. The movement was less apparent 

 on the east coast of Scotland, the winds being east-north-east 

 and north-east, having a tendency to crush down migration, 

 giving it a more southerly direction. On the west coast of 

 Scotland, during the same period, at the majority of stations the 

 rush of birds was enormous ; but the movement was much less 

 accentuated on the west coast of England, and to a less degree 

 still on the Iri>h coast*. The rush is by far the largest ever 

 recorded since the opening of this inquiry. 



As usual on the east coast of England, rooks, daws, hooded 

 crows, starlings, and larks occupy a considerable portion of the 

 returned schedules. Chaffinches have crossed the North Sea in 

 extraordinary numbers. They are always numerous, but this 

 autumn the immigration has been in considerable excess of 

 previous years. With these exceptions, however, there has been 

 a singular and very marked falling off in the migration of some 

 species whose breeding range lies chiefly in the north of Europe. 

 This has been especially noticeable in the small arrivals recorded 

 of fieldfares, redwings, ring-ousels, bramblings, snow-buntings, 

 short-eared owls, and woodcocks. 



Eight reports have now been issued by your Committee, and 

 the stations have again been supplied with the necessary papers 

 for the returns of the observations in the present year. It seems 

 highly desirable that an attempt should shortly be made to 

 analyze, classify, and digest the large mass of facts brought 

 together in these reports, so as to show, statistically and other- 

 wise, the actual results which have been arrived at by the inquiry. 

 It is intended that this shall be carried out at as early a date as 

 possible. The Committee respectfully request their reappoint- 

 ment. 



Report of the Committee, consisting of H. Seehohm, R. Triinen, 

 W. Carruthers, and P. L. Sclater {secretary), appointed fo*- the 

 purpose of Investigating the Flora and Fauna of the Cameroons 

 Mountain. — The Committee have the pleasure of reporting 

 that a successful ascent of the Cameroons Mountain was made 

 by Mr. H. H. Johnston on their behalf in the autumn of 1886. 

 Mr. Johnston encamped at Mann's Spring, at an altitude of 

 7350 feet, about 300 feet above the forest region of the moun- 

 tain, and remained there several weeks. A popular account of 

 his expedition has been published, with illustrations, in the 

 Graphic newspaper (" An Ascent of the Cameroons Mountain "). 

 Mr. Johnston made considerable collections in zoology and 

 botany. The zoological collections have been worked out by 

 specialists in different branches, to whom the collections were 

 referred by the Committee, and the results published in a series 

 of paoers in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of Lon- 

 don, of which the following are the titles : — 



(i) "List of Mammals from the Cameroons Mountain, col- 

 lected by Mr. H. H. Johnston," by Oldfield Thomas, Proc. Z.S. 

 1887, p. 121. 



(2) " On a Collection of Birds made by Mr. H. H. Johnston 

 on the Cameroons Mountain," by Capt. G, E. Shelley, Proc. 

 Z.S., 1887, p. 122. 



