440 THE BIKDS OF HELIGOLAND 



I little dreamt, when writing the above report on the occurrei 

 of this interesting bird some years ago, that it would be once more 

 my good fortune to witness another visitation like that of 1863 ; 

 nevertheless this has not only happened, just as I am occupied 

 in the final revision of these sheets, but the immigration of the 

 present year 1888 exceeds, up to the time of writing, that of 

 1863 at least tenfold, in respect to numbers of individuals ; this 

 remark of course applies only to my own area of observation. 



The first examples of the present immigration, twenty in 

 number, were seen on the dune on the 25th of April ; on the 

 26th, eight ; on the 27th, ten ; on the 28th, twenty-five ; on the 30th, 

 eleven. May 2nd, eight examples ; 4th, fifteen ; 5th, twenty-three ; 

 7th, twelve ; 8th, twenty. Up to this time the birds had only 

 been observed by workmen on the dune ; all of them had arrived 

 invariably during the early hours of the morning, and resumed 

 their journey late in the afternoon. 



On the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th, flights of from three and five 

 up to twenty-five examples were seen on the island, the dune and 

 over the sea. On the 17th a large number of birds occurred, my 

 son Ludwig having shot eighteen on the dune quite early in the 

 morning. 



On the 18th, flocks of from fifty to a hundred individuals were 

 seen ; at the same time small companies also occurred continuously. 



On the 19th, the air was thundery, and no birds were observed. 



On the 20th, flights of from five to twenty individuals. 



On the 21st, fog ; no migration. 



On the 22nd, light east wind clear warm. Hundreds of 

 Sand Grouse. 



On the 23rd, flights of from ten to forty. 

 ' On the 24th, a flock of over forty. 



On the 25th, wind north cold ; small flights of from five to 

 twenty individuals. 



On the 26th, in swarms ; number incomputable. Twenty-two 

 were shot on the dune. 



On the 27th, many large flocks of from fifty to eighty individuals. 



On the 28th, ditto. 



On the 29th, flights of from five to fifty birds. 



On the 30th, flights of from ten to fifty individuals. 



On the 31st, wind south-west ; rain. Small flights of three, 

 five, up to ten individuals. 



The migration proceeded in a similar manner throughout June. 

 A flock of over a hundred birds was seen as late as the 27th of 

 that month on the dune, the weather at the time being warm, 

 and the wind light south-east. In the course of July the birds 



