452 SYLVIIDyE. 



already remarked that at the end of October and beginning 

 of November the bird suddenly became more abundant than 

 the number produced in his own neighbourhood, in North- 

 umberland, could account for, and that the same was the 

 case along a great extent of the eastern coast of Scotland, 

 he felt convinced that the fact was due to immigration from 

 abroad. On the morning of October 26th, 1822, after a 

 long and severe gale, beginning from the north-east, but 

 veering to the east and south of east, he had the satisfaction 

 of witnessing the arrival of an extraordinary flight, which 

 he afterwards found was observed along the whole line of 

 coast from beyond Berwick to Whitby. " They were seen 

 to arrive", he says, "by hundreds on the beach, so fatigued 

 and overcome by the unfavourable change of wind, the 

 length of their journey, or both combined, as to drop the 

 moment they reached land, unable to make any further 

 exertions." As soon, he continues, as they were a little 

 recovered from the effects of their distant flight, they spread 

 over the adjoining country, and at first filled every hedge 

 and plantation ; but their numbers rapidly decreased, and 

 about Christmas scarcely more than the usual quantity 

 remained. Soon after this they disappeared to a bird, and 

 it was not till the following October that a single Reyulus 

 was visible in Northumberland.* 



Though the migratory multitude thus observed by Selby 

 was doubtless greater than common, it has possibly been 

 equalled or excelled. The next record of anything of the 

 kind is by Mr. Blyth who states (Field-Nat, i. p. 467) that 

 he learned from a friend, who was at sea off Whitby October 

 7th, 1833, that a flock settled on the ship's tackle, the little 

 birds being so much exhausted as to suffer capture by the 

 hand. In 1847, Mr. Gray saw on the east coast of Scotland 

 a very large flock, which, taking possession of a cabbage-plot 

 looked more like a swarm of bees than a crowd of birds, 

 and allowed him to catch ten or twelve of them with a 



* This unwonted influx of strangers most likely exhausted the supply of food 

 so that the natives were driven away or starved. Selby noticed the same 

 dearth of the species in parts of Scotland in the same summer. 



