196 ANNALS OF BIRD LIFE. 



driven southwards into Africa, India, China, 

 Burma, the Malay Archipelago, and Australasia. 

 These countries to this day are the grand winter 

 home of all the migratory birds of the northern 

 portions of the Old World ; the European species 

 crowding into Africa, the Siberian ones into 

 India and the other countries in the south. Some 

 of these European birds have increased so much 

 that they have been compelled to spread eastwards 

 into Asia ; whilst some of the Siberian species 

 have extended their range westwards into Europe 

 from a similar cause. It is therefore easy to 

 understand how some of these individuals or their 

 offspring, which have increased their range 

 westwards from Asia, wander down the coasts 

 of Europe to England ; whilst the individuals 

 of the European species that go to Asia in 

 summer, entice a few of the indigenous birds 

 back with them to Europe and Africa. Having 

 thus made ourselves familiar with the principal 

 movements of birds at migration time, we will 

 proceed to notice those species which from time 

 to time appear upon our coasts as " strangers of 

 the autumn." 



Perhaps by far the most interesting of our 

 casual visitors have made their appearance in the 

 autumn. We will take them in the order of their 

 usual classification, beginning with the Birds of 

 Prey. The occurrences of the Griffon Vulture, 

 and the Egyptian Vulture, were all in autumn ; 

 and doubtless these birds were blown north by 



