380 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



180. Reed Bunting [EOHRAMMER]. 

 EMBERIZA SCHCENICLUS, Linn. 



Heligolandish : Nieper. Local name for Meed Bunting. 

 Emberlm schceniclus. Naumann, iv. 280. 



Eeed Bunting. Dresser, iv. 241. 



Bruant de roseaux. Temminck, Manuel, i. 307, ii. 219. 



Although this pretty little creature is distributed as a breeding 

 bird over the whole of Europe, it can only be regarded as a somewhat 

 rare occurrence in Heligoland. This holds good especially in regard 

 to the spring migration. The autumn of 1884, however, was an 

 exception to the rule, for about the middle of October hundreds of 

 these birds were seen in one day more than occur usually in the 

 course of a whole year, Turdus iliacus also occurred in preponderat- 

 ingly large numbers, and Alauda arbor ea and Emberiza miliaria 

 were observed repeatedly in unusual abundance. During the same 

 time the Keed Bunting also occurred in strikingly large numbers 

 in England ; and it was probably owing to similar causes that the 

 Northern Bluethroat appeared during the same migration period 

 in exceptionally large quantities on the east coast of England, 

 where, under ordinary conditions, it is of extremely rare occurrence. 

 The direction of the wind during the days of the strongest migra- 

 tions was frequently north-north-west. I do not, however, believe 

 that local and transient changes in the direction of the wind are 

 able to exert a direct influence on the normal line of flight of a 

 migrant. This is rendered very evident here in the migratory droves 

 of Crows which, while frequently changing the direction of the axial 

 line of their body, never in the least alter that of their migration- 

 flight ; even a very violent south-east or south-south-east wind, such 

 as they often get into here out at sea, neither influences the westerly 

 course of their autumn migration nor its velocity ; although under 

 these conditions the position of their body is south-south-west, i.e. 

 removed by six points of the compass from their westerly line of 

 flight, their migration, in spite of the more or less considerable 

 sideward movement into which they are thus forced, nevertheless 

 proceeds in as exact an east-to-west direction as during the most 

 favourable weather, when the axial line of the bird's body coincides 

 with the line of their migration flight. All migrants, both in 

 autumn and in spring, are most numerously brought within the 

 range of observation during the prevalence of light and moderate 

 south-easterly and south-south-easterly winds accompanied by 

 warm weather ; while they are seen in least numbers if violent west 

 winds accompanied by rain prevail during their spring and autumn 



