9 



Charadius caspius, Two shot, two supposed to have heen 

 seen. 



A total numoer of twenty-four species. On the face of it this 

 appears to be a remarkable record for so small an area. But out 

 of the whole list only two can be looked upon as regular visitors, 

 viz.: 



Phylloscopus super ciliosus. Average visits for fifty years, two 

 per annum. 



Anthns Richardi. Fairly regular in spring, occurring in some 

 numbers in the autumn. 



Of the others Geo. varia occurs on an average once in two 

 years. So far from the rest of Central Europe having produced 

 the foregoing species in numbers proportionate to its vastly 

 greater area, the exact converse is the case, and that these rare 

 birds in such theoretical abundance have escaped notice, is highly 

 improbable. This especially refers to the cases of Eichard's 

 Pipit and the Yellow-browed Warbler. Several other species are 

 included in the European avi-fauna on the strength of single 

 examples having been obtained on Heligoland alone. Of the 

 remainder of the list, one or two, have been included on the 

 evidence of supposed captures before Herr Gatke's time. About 

 a third of the whole number have only occurred once. What the 

 many other species from eastern Asia are which visit Heligoland 

 in such large numbers every autumn (p. 33), one would be 

 interested to learn. 



If we take away the evidence of the far eastern origin of the 

 vast nights of birds annually passing Heligoland in the autumn, 

 afforded by the regular occurrence of Anthus Richardi and PhylL 

 superciliosus , but little remains to prove that any species in such 

 distant countries, on setting out from their breeding area, take up 

 a westerly course, which they maintain until they arrive at the 

 coasts of western Europe and Spain. If the foregoing species men- 

 tioned, as only breeding east of the Urals, are not to be regarded 

 as accidental stragglers, then, one cannot help being struck by 

 the different manner in which Herr Gatke treats the occasional 

 appearance of certain others, whose breeding grounds are much 

 nearer Heligoland, but whose migratory flight, he admits, is per- 

 formed from 7iorth to south. These individuals, on the contrary, 



