Oil the Little Gidl (Lams minutus) in North Uist. 109 



west over the sea, and, probably passing flocks of other 

 migrants, indicated to it, even in its inexperience, the correct 

 old lines of migration. 



I have a paper now in preparation, in which I will much 

 more fully discuss and, I think, satisfactorily prove some of 

 the causes and reasons of migrational phenomena. I have 

 said enough here, however, to make the record of this 

 specimen somewhat more interesting than a bare mention of 

 the fact of its occurrence, and I hope that in future all who 

 record rare occurrences will see the importance of making 

 their records complete, on the lines I have endeavoured to 

 indicate. 



One of the principal subjects for discussion at the Orni- 

 thological Congress, now being held at Vienna under the 

 auspices of the Heir-Apparent Archduke Eodolphe, is, as 

 stated in the programme of the Congress, the " institution of 

 Ornithological Observation-Stations extending throughout 

 the whole world inhabited." 



In North America, already a large scheme has been set 

 on foot for the purposes of working out the phenomena of 

 migration. This is a Committee on Migration, under the 

 auspices of the American Ornithologists' Union. All inter- 

 ested in this subject should pursue the programme and 

 schedules issued by the said committee, and which are pro- 

 curable from Dr C. Hart Merriam, Locust Grove, New York. 



In our own country, as I think you are aware, the British 

 Association appointed a committee in 1880 " for the purpose 

 of obtaining (with the consent of the master and brethren of 

 the Trinity House, and of the Commissioners of Northern 

 Lights) observations on the Migration of Birds at Lighthouses 

 and Lightships, and of reporting upon the same at York in 

 1881 ; " of which Mr John Cordeaux, Great Cotes, Ulceby, 

 Lincolnshire, is appointed secretary. This committee has 

 been re-appointed at each meeting of the British Association 

 since that date, and has issued four reports for 1879, 1880, 

 1881, and 1882, and the report for 1883 is now in the press. 

 These reports are obtainable from Messrs West, Newman, 

 and Co., 54 Hatton Garden, London. Previous to these 

 reports of the committee, Mr John Cordeaux had published 



