122 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke — Bird-migration 



the Trinity Yacht ' Irene ' at 9 a.m. A great westerly 

 movement was in full swing at the time, under weather con- 

 ditions which were eminently favourable to the migrants — 

 the usual species, namely Starlings, Skylarks, Chaffinches, 

 and Tree-Sparrows. At 10.30 a.m. wc bid adieu to the 

 Lightship and steamed south-west towards the Kentish coast, 

 on nearing which our course was changed and we proceeded 

 west in the direction of the Thames Estuary, and finally to 

 the mouth of the river, where, at 3 p.m., I was put ashore at 

 Southend. 



During the entire passage of four and a half hours — the 

 distance travelled being close upon fifty miles — we were at 

 first crossing the course of, and afterwards running parallel 

 to, the flight of continuous flocks of Starlings and Skylarks, 

 and of fewer Chaffinches and Tree-Sparrows, all proceeding 

 westwards, and all flying low over the calmest of seas in the 

 finest of weather. 



These flocks, especially those of the two first-named species, 

 were never absent from view, and we must have encountered 

 tens of thousands of the birds during the passage. It was 

 a revelation even to one familiar with the voluminous records 

 of such movements chronicled in the migration schedules ; 

 but it is one thing to study in cold blood, as it were, masses 

 of statistics, and quite another to witness these bird-streams 

 actually flowing before one unceasingly hour after hour. It 

 was the marvellous continuity and apparently inexhaustible 

 nature of these movements that was a revelation to me, both 

 on this and other occasions. 



The flocks ceased to be so numerous as we approached the 

 mouth of the Thames proper, but groups of Starlings and 

 Skylarks were still moving westwards when I left the 

 ' Irene,' and at 4 p.m. Skylarks were trooping past in small 

 parties at Southend. 



A Mistle-Thrush, observed flying somewhat high and to 

 the west soon after we left the Kentish Knock, was the 

 only Thrush that came under my notice during the day- 

 time. 



In addition to the species named as participating in the 



