210 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



and they have been known to appear in tens of thousands. A 

 migration en masse of this nature occurred about twenty-five years 

 ago, when so many of these birds were found in the autumn in the 

 throstle-bushes, that they had to be carried away in large baskets. 

 From that time and until 1876, one or two of the birds were 

 met with only in extremely rare instances, as, for instance, three 

 examples on the 10th of October. On the 21st of the same month, 

 however, a powerful migration took place. A stiff easterly breeze 

 was blowing on that day, and the air was clear. According to my 

 diary, thousands of the birds flew across and past the island, and 

 more than a hundred were shot and caught. 



Never, however, have these birds been seen in such enormous 

 swarms as in October 1882. On the 6th of this month my diary 

 contains the following entry : ' A stormy south-east wind ; weather 

 clear. C. glandarius in hundreds; Accentor in unprecedented 

 numbers ; F. ccelebs and Anthus pratensis in hundreds of thou- 

 sands.' On the 7th the entries are: 'Wind south-east, almost a 

 storm ; weather clear. C. glandarius travelling across the island 

 uninterruptedly in hosts of thousands and millions; enormous 

 numbers of Accentor, F. ccelebs, and A. pratensis.' On the 8th : 

 ' Wind S.E., freshening ; weather clear. C. glandarius in still 

 greater numbers than on the day before; uninterrupted swarms, 

 counting to thousands, passing across, as well as to north and south 

 of the island. Birds never before seen in such enormous quantities.' 



Thus ended this great procession, in which the birds must 

 have numbered millions. How so vast a number of individuals 

 could have congregated in one great multitude is quite incompre- 

 hensible. Since that year (1882) one solitary example only has 

 been seen. 



Powerful migrations of Jays occur only during the autumn 

 months, and then only with very strong east or south winds, and 

 in clear weather. Migrations en masse of Chaffinches and Meadow 

 Pipits also take place during violent south-east winds. These, how- 

 ever, are not dependent on clear weather, but proceed even when 

 the sky is densely overclouded. 



The Common Jay occurs as a resident breeding bird throughout 

 the whole of Europe as far as 64 N. latitude. On the east its 

 range is said not to extend beyond the Ural, the bird being repre- 

 sented in Asia by a distinct, but very similar species, C. brandti. 

 From our own experiences, however, of the occurrence of this bird, 

 as related above, this statement would scarcely appear credible. 

 The number of individuals observed within the field of vision on 

 this island alone, during the three October days above mentioned, 

 was so enormous as to be beyond all attempts at estimation, and 



