12 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



being young individuals. Old Cuckoos begin to return from about 

 the middle of the month. The Guillemots which breed on the 

 island, on calm evenings conduct their young ones out to sea ; the 

 young Sparrows, which have been bred here, disappear towards the 

 close of the month ; the first young of the Common Wheatear now 

 make their appearance, and perhaps also a solitary young Cuckoo. 



Hundreds of different notes of shore-birds, passing in large 

 masses towards their winter quarters, are heard during the night. 

 These invariably, at this time, pursue an east-to-west line of flight. 



With the advent of AUGUST the phenomena of migration are 

 again unfolded in all their grandeur. The earlier arrivals at the 

 beginning of the month consist more especially of the various 

 members of the great Snipe and Plover family Charadrius, 

 Numenius, Liniosd, Totanus, and Tringa. These pass over the 

 islands in endless flocks throughout whole nights, and in slightly 

 smaller numbers during the day. Side by side with these, the 

 first young birds of the Willow Warbler, the Pied Flycatcher and 

 Spotted Flycatcher, the Whinchat and the Wheatear, accompanied 

 by individuals of the Wood Warbler and Melodious Warbler, make 

 their appearance. Young Cuckoos may now be counted among 

 daily occurrences. The numbers of all these birds steadily increase, 

 the Tree Pipit and Ortolan Bunting being joined to them about 

 the middle of the month, while the first examples of the Redstart, 

 the Whitethroat, the Garden Warbler, and the Red-Spotted Blue- 

 throat follow during its latter half. 



If the end of the month is attended by warm, calm, and clear 

 weather, with light south-easterly and southerly winds, we shall find 

 all the fields and gardens alive with innumerable young Flycatchers, 

 Warblers, the Willow Warbler, Redstarts, Whitethroats, Whinchats ; 

 and countless young Wheatears merrily disport themselves at the 

 edge of the cliff, and on the shingle at its foot. The sheep pastures 

 teem with young Wagtails (Blue-headed, Black-headed, and Yellow). 

 Young Red-backed Shrikes may be seen sitting on the look-out for 

 prey on the dry outermost ends of the twigs of the throstle bushes 

 and garden shrubs. Young Goatsuckers, as yet without the white 

 decoration on tail and wings, are roused out of every hidden nook, 

 and young Cuckoos rove over the fields in quest of caterpillars 

 among the cabbages. Simultaneously with the latter, the Wryneck 

 makes his appearance in large numbers, and may be seen cowering 

 in the grass busily occupied in impaling ants. Swifts rove about, 

 and pass over the island in large and noisy flocks ; the hoarse 'etsh ' 

 of the Common Snipe is heard abundantly, more especially in the 

 morning. In the last case, as weU as in that of all the other species 

 already enumerated, the birds are exclusively young individuals. 



