

27 



Sweden, and are seen in lower Norway only in exceptionally 

 rare instances. In Southern Sweden they unite themselves 

 with those coming from Asia, hence have arisen the innumer- 

 able hosts seen in Heligoland within the last decades." What 

 evidence there is that the flocks met with in southern Sweden 

 come from Asia, is very difficult to see; but the case of those 

 migrating from Norway a latitude due North of Heligoland 

 affords a striking instance of how easily a species migrating 

 really north to south, or south-west, may be erroneously 

 regarded as one performing the whole journey in an east-to- 

 west direction, simply because, at the moment of observation, 

 it may be passing a particular locality in the latter line of flight. 

 It may even be the case that those individuals exceptionally met 

 with in Southern Norway, may be identical with the birds which 

 reach our eastern coasts, for it is difficult to see to what other 

 country their journey, if any, further prolonged, would carry 

 them. 



There is not much to be learnt with regard to the theory of 

 a " broad front " from the migrations of the Shore Lark, as its 

 breeding grounds, for the most part, lie above the limits of forest 

 growth ; but Herr Gatke apparently has the idea in view when 

 he writes respecting flocks from Asia being met in southern 

 Sweden by others from the north of Norway. As he points out 

 a southern turn must be taken by flocks breeding east of the 

 Baltic, up in the far north, otherwise we should expect to find 

 the species in greater abundance in the most northern parts of 

 Great Britain, i.e., in the Shetlands, Orkneys and north of 

 Scotland, or perhaps still further north, away in the Faroes and 

 Iceland. It seems, however, to be carrying the theory of a 

 westerly flight to an absurdity in suggesting the probability of the 

 species occurring as an occasional visitor from Europe on the 

 Atlantic coasts of America. Herr Gatke seems to think that the 

 Shore Lark must have displayed, even from its origin, a strong 

 inclination for a westerly autumn migration, for otherwise, it 

 could never have got across into Asia and finally to Lapland and 

 Finmark. What he means by the remark " even from its origin " 

 is not easily discernable, unless he intends to convey the idea that 

 as the evolution of the species progressed, a supposed innate 



