President's Address. 313 



out the world beneath them; fog makes them descend to 

 lower altitudes, as do certain currents of air; fog too often 

 separates single weary travellers from the main bodies of 

 migrants ; and thus the only " tuition," or " example," is often 

 removed from them; and no "consciousness," or "reason," 

 steps in to fill the breach, at least in the case of young birds 

 In the case of old birds, that have travelled the old groove 

 once, or many times before, should they, in dark and misty 

 nights, be separated from the flocks, " experience " steps in 

 to set them right again. Hence it is that we find wanderers, 

 and rare Eastern species, which occasionally are found upon 

 our insular area, are for the most part young birds, more apt 

 to stray from weaker powers of flight, and less apt soon to 

 recover their lost tracks. In the case of adults, of rare and 

 exceptional occurrence, we are inclined to believe that such 

 are frequently found to be of species whose habitat is far far 

 removed from the locality of their occurrence ; and that 

 whirled up in some cyclone, or terrible and resistless gale, 

 and borne onward in blinding mist upon an erratic course, 

 are finally dashed down, or forced to shelter, where they have 

 never been forced to shelter (individually) before, perhaps 

 thousands of miles north or west of their breeding or migra- 

 tory range. It would be interesting to know how could such 

 dirds as these return, if they do return at all. If the gale 

 occurred in clear bright weather, the great power of sight, 

 and distinct retention of impression upon the nervous centres 

 (we will not call it " reasoning memory "), would probably 

 unerringly guide them back again. But if the gale occurred 

 in mist and darkness, which sense would then invariably 

 direct their return flight^the warmth of the sun, tempera- 

 ture, or what ? or would great circular journeys be undertaken 

 high in air, until some well impressed object meets the eye, 

 and then, like the arrow-flight of the Carrier pigeon, lead it 

 from stepping-stone to stepping-stone on this marvellous 

 return journey, which, however, very many indeed never 

 accomplish ? I could extend this portion of the paper, but 

 refrain, lest in the haze and still mystified courses of our 

 subject I lose sight of our " Island of The May." 



To sum up, — We can now see that the Isle of May is in 



