THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 209 



only on three occasions. The first of these examples was killed by 

 a boy with a stone at the end of August 1844. The second bird 

 was shot on the 17th of October 1853, and a third a few years later. 

 All these birds were solitary individuals. This may seem specially 

 surprising in the case of the first example, since this species 

 appeared in almost unprecedented numbers during the autumn of 

 the same year in Scandinavia, and also spread in considerable 

 numbers over Germany. 



This apparent anomaly is probably explained by the view 

 already expressed in the chapter on the direction of the migratory 

 flight, to the effect : that a large number of birds travel, at the outset 

 of their migrations, from east to west, but turn to the south on 

 reaching Scandinavia. Others again, which have nested or been 

 bred in less advanced northern latitudes, pursue their westerly 

 course as far as England and Ireland before turning their flight 

 of migration to the south. In the above instance, the extra- 

 ordinary numbers of Nutcrackers which assembled in Scandinavia 

 could only have reached that peninsula from the east. On their 

 arrival in that country, however, their westerly movement must 

 have come to a complete stop, for even if it had been much 

 weakened, large numbers could not have failed to reach this island 

 or the shores of England, whereas here only one example, and in 

 the latter country only two examples, were met with. 



One of the birds I gave to Herr von Zittwitz, and it will most 

 probably be found in the Museum of Gorlitz. 



This bird occurs as a resident breeding species from the 

 mountains of Spain to Japan. Throughout this area, however, 

 the nesting birds are only found scattered in pine and fir woods. 



44. Common Jay [EICHELHEHER]. 

 CORVUS GLANDARIUS, Linn. 1 



Heligolandish : Haager = Jay. 



Corvus glandarius. Naumann, ii. 122. 



Common Jay. Dresser, iv. 481. 



Geai glandivore. Temininck, Manuel, i. 114, iii. 65. 



The appearances of this bird on this island are most irregular. 

 Sometimes it occurs sporadically in extraordinary abundance, and, 

 again, for a succession of years, no bird proves to be rarer. After 

 an interval of from ten to fifteen years, in which not a single bird 

 has been seen, there will suddenly appear a band of from ten to 

 fifteen individuals. In some years the number rises to hundreds ; 



1 Oamdus glandarius (Linn.). 

 O 



