THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 481 



infrequently that on some days during the migration period of the 

 Woodcock, the weather is of such a kind that one may with safety 

 look out for Siberian rarities ; and I have often on such occasions 

 begged one or other of our gunners to devote more attention to 

 such occurrences, laying stress on the fact that one of these rarce 

 aves would yield him double, four, and even six times the money 

 value of a Woodcock; but in all cases my efforts at persuasion 

 proved unsuccessful. My request to them to give up the chance 

 of a Woodcock for the pursuit of an eastern Bunting or Warbler 

 was invariably refused with a quiet, compassionate smile. 



The Woodcock passes on migration in large numbers, both 

 in spring and autumn, though, as one might expect, it is much 

 more abundant during the later season of the year. As is the 

 case with all other birds, its appearance i.e. its migration at alti- 

 tudes at which it comes within the range of observation is entirely 

 dependent on meteorological conditions, and therefore its numbers 

 vary considerably in different years. If more or less violent south- 

 westerly winds, with rain and mist, prevail throughout one or 

 other of the two migration periods, neither Woodcocks nor any 

 other birds are seen on this island ; if, on the other hand, the 

 weather is warm and calm, with light south-easterly to southerly 

 winds, we may with safety look forward to the presence of all the 

 different species of birds in large quantities ; but to bring about 

 what is known as a ' great flight ' of Woodcocks, it requires the out- 

 break of a stiff" north-wester, succeeding light southerly and south- 

 westerly breezes ; in such cases the migratory hosts are evidently 

 unexpectedly surprised during their flight by the stormy weather, 

 and large numbers of them are driven to seek shelter on the ground. 

 On occasions of this kind the numbers of these birds which have 

 been found within the limited area of this island, covering barely 

 a square mile, have almost approached the marvellous. On the 

 21st of October 1823 the number of these birds caught and shot 

 here exceeded eleven hundred : eighty-three of these were bagged 

 by Jacob Lassen, an old and well-known Woodcock-catcher on 

 this island, while an old gunner, Hans Prohl, shot ninety-nine, having 

 failed to bring down his hundredth bird. These bags are the more 

 surprising when we take into consideration the kind of shooting 

 gear with which they were obtained. Most of the gunners of those 

 days used old infantry muskets the remains of the cargo of a 

 Dutch vessel which had run ashore on the sandbank ; its contents, 

 after lying for months at the sea bottom, had been fished up during 

 calm weather. For measuring the charge of powder and shot these 

 old sportsmen used, as a rule, the bowl of a clay pipe. When we 

 further add to all this the fact that they were by no means 



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