observed at the Kentish. Knock Lightship. 127 



and even heard them dropping into the water. Such 

 scenes often lasted for hours — ten-and-a-half hours on the 

 17th-18th October, — and the sacrifice thus caused is simply 

 appalling. Some of the victims, indeed the majority, were 

 only stunned or slightly injured, and thus met with a 

 miserable death at sea. Few fell on hoard, unless the night 

 was still, and then chiefly those which struck the lantern 

 with considerable force and fell below like stones. 



Seen from the deck, the three beams from the lantern 

 appeared to be thrown towards the surface of the surrounding 

 waters at an angle of 45°. The birds — brilliant glistening 

 objects — seemed to ascend, as it were, these streams of light 

 by a series of short jerky flaps performed by wings 

 which appeared to be only half spread for flight. Some 

 of them paused when within a short distance of the 

 lantern, and remaining almost stationary, sunned themselves 

 in the radiance of the slowly passing beam. Others were 

 bolder and approached the light more closely, but ere thev 

 reached it spread their tails like fans, as if to check at 

 the last moment their perilous onward course, and then 

 sheered off, returning in a moment or two to repeat the 

 performance. This spreading of the tail was a pretty 

 trait, especially in the Wheatear, with its black-and-white 

 rectrices. Others, again, approached the light gently, and 

 either fluttered against the glass, or, as Avas particularly 

 the case with the Starling, perched on the iron frame- 

 work of the lantern-windows and seemed to revel in the 

 light. In this respect the Starling differed from the rest, 

 and when one brilliant beam had passed, the bird craned 

 its neck and appeared to gaze longingly towards that 

 which was slowly approaching. indeed, the actions of 

 the Starling in particular shewed the birds under the 

 spell of some overpowering fascination. A number of the 

 visitors made their debut with a wild dash for the light, and 

 these, if they struck the »lass direct, were killed outright; 

 while if the contact was made obliquely they glanced off 

 stunned and, slightly injured, descended with a curious 

 zigzag flight which sometimes carried them some little 



