264 Among the Birds in Northern Shires. 



Bunting, the Sky-lark, and the Shore Lark especially. 

 Starlings, Jackdaws, and Rooks also initiate a migra- 

 tional movement during February; and there is 

 also some evidence to show that Sparrow-hawks, 

 Bitterns, Geese, Swans, many Ducks, Ring Doves, 

 Golden Plovers, Lapwings, Woodcocks and Snipes, 

 Redshanks, Curlews, Little Auks, the three British 

 species of Divers, and the Red-necked and Sclavo- 

 nian Grebes are at least in movement of a defi- 

 nite character. This applies not only to an 

 actual departure from our shores, but to a coasting 

 movement across them from winter stations still 

 farther south. With the exception, perhaps, of the 

 Shore Lark and the two species of Swans, the migra- 

 tion can only be regarded as slight, and becomes 

 in the majority of cases much more emphasized in 

 the following month, more especially as concerns 

 the Song Thrush, the Greenfinch, the Linnet, the 

 Chaffinch, the Sky-lark, the Starling, and the Jack- 

 daw among Passerine birds; and the Bernacle and 

 Brent Geese, the Mallard and other Ducks, the 

 Snipes and the Divers among others. It will be 

 remarked that the earliest birds to leave are those 

 that breed in continental areas due east of the 

 British area; the next species to go are such as 

 have their breeding - places in a general north- 

 present they are not at all clear. The bird visits the lighthouses and light- 

 vessels in spring and autumn, but the movement is not yet clearly defined. 



