70 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xm. 



the potato j&elds, which were full of them on the nth. On 

 each day these extra numbers had passed on before lo a.m., 

 but their departure was not witnessed. On the 13th, 14th 

 and 15th only the usual numbers were present. 



On the i6th a very large number had arrived and at 6.30 

 a.m. the island was full of them and migration was still going 

 on and continued uninterruptedly until 8.30 a.m. The birds 

 travelled in small parties and were passing continuously 

 across the whole of the island south of the mountain. Many 

 of them tcok the same course as those on the loth, and this 

 is evidently the main route of the species at this season ; others 

 came in more directly from the west, but all tended to turn 

 a little to the north of east as soon as they cleared the mountain 

 and could see the land beyond. A great number of the birds 

 that had arrived earlier and stopped to feed, resumed the 

 same course when put up. After the main passage was over, 

 small parties continued to arrive in succession all the morning 

 at the southern point of the island, coming in low over the 

 sea from the south-west. Some stopped to feed on the short 

 grass and rocks before resuming their flight, while others passed 

 on without stopping straight up the eastern shore towards the 

 southern shoulder of the mountain, whence they doubtless 

 turned more to the east, on to the course the earlier ones had 

 taken. 



On the 17th there were no overnight arrivals, but a few 

 came in at the southern point in the early morning, from the 

 south-west, up to 10 a.m. These aU stopped to feed, several 

 of them afterwards starting off towards the east, but after a 

 short flight turned back and landed farther up the coast as 

 though afraid to venture farther, there being no land in sight, 

 owing to fog. 



On the i8th and 19th there were no overnight arrivals, and 

 only quite a few came in at the southern point up to 10 a.m. 

 On these two days they arrived from a point a little to the 

 north of west, but otherwise their direction of flight was the 

 same as on the i6th and 17th. On the 20th there was no 

 migration and only the resident population was seen. On 

 the 2ist there was a small overnight or early morning arrival, 

 both in the cultivated area and at the southern point, where 

 there were a good many throughout the morning, but no 

 actual arrivals were witnessed. Two parties, however, were 

 seen departing : one of them followed the usual route up the 

 east coast, while the other went off to the south, along the 

 usual Wagtail route. The surplus birds in the cultivated 

 area had all gone before mid-day. 



