THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS 73 



Third, there are the Birds of Passage in the narrow 

 sense, such as some of the sandpipers, the great snipe, and 

 the little stint. They occur for a short time on our shores, 

 which are neither warm enough nor cold enough for their 

 constitutions, resting twice a year on their way farther 

 south or farther north. It must be clearly realised that 

 the classification we are using is entirely relative; a bird 

 of passage in one part of the country may be a Summer or 

 Winter visitor in another part. It is similarly necessary to 

 see clearly that the cuckoo is a Summer visitor for Britain, 

 but a Winter visitor for Mediterranean countries. 



Fourth, it seems clearest to make another division for 

 those birds that are often called " partial migrants " 

 that are never unrepresented in the country, for while 

 some go, others stay, and the places of those who go are 

 often taken by individuals from farther north. Thus we 

 may see thrushes, lapwings, goldfinches, larks (and many 

 more might be named) every month of the year in Britain, 

 but there is none the less a migration of some of these birds. 



Fifth, a few birds seem to deserve to be called 

 " residents" those, namely, that do not leave the country 

 at all, or only in relatively small numbers. The most 

 stationary of the residents is the Red Grouse, the only 

 bird peculiar to Britain, which never leaves our shores. 

 But even this bird has its small migration, passing from 

 a higher to a lower level on the hills and moor as the Winter 

 comes on. If would be pedantic, we think, not to class 

 blackbird and robin and house-sparrow among the residents. 

 As we have hinted, however, many birds that seem to be 

 residents are partial migrants ; they seem to be always 

 with us, but sometimes careful observation has shown that 

 the individuals are not the same. 



Lastly, there are those irregular migrants who may be 

 called " casual vagrants "American birds, for instance, 



