ILE D'OUESSANT 



AS AN 



ORNITHOLOGICAL STATION 



WITH NOTES ON MIGRATORY AND OTHER BIRDS 

 OBSERVED THERE 



BY 



W" EAGLE CLARKE F. L. S. 



This Island appeared to me to occupy a singularly 

 important geographica! position for studying the pheno- 

 menon of bird-migration as observed on the shores of 

 Western Europe. 



It lies in the course of many of those' birds of passage 

 which annually traverse the northern and western shores 

 of France ; and also in the track of those which having 

 traversed the southern and western coasts of Britain, seek 

 the atlantic littoral of France on their journeys southward 

 in the autumn; and northwards in the spring. 



This belief in the singularly favourable position 

 occupied by Ouessant, and the fact that we knew nothing 

 about it ornithologically, indnced me to apply to the Royal 

 Society of London for a grant to enable me to visit the 

 Island for the purpose of investigating and observing the 

 migralion of birds as observed there. My application was 

 fortunately successful. 



Having secured the companionship and valued co-ope- 

 ralion of my friend Mr T. G. Laidlaw, M. B. 0. U. ; he and 

 I arrived at Le Conquet, on the west coast of Britany, en 



