H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 101 



much cruising that several undesirable breaks appear 

 in the migration records, and, in addition, I never got 

 even a glimpse of the country inland. 



Considering the orders Passeres and Picarice only, 

 from present information Crete seems to possess about 

 thirty winter species, some sixteen of which are resident 

 and breed in the island. 



Up to the date of our departure on 9th April, the 

 spring migration had added to the winter list, according 

 to my own observations, only thirty-one more species 

 belonging to these two orders, twelve of which left some 

 of their individuals to breed, the remainder passing on to 

 the northward. 



The first indication of the spring migration was the 

 arrival at Suda Bay on the 11th February — a cold rainy 

 afternoon with a strong west wind — of a few Crag- 

 Martins (Cotile rupestris). On the 19th and 20th February 

 Crag-Martins were plentiful around Suda village in the 

 afternoon. The 23rd February brought the last two 

 Crag-Martins to this district, and the species then 

 disappeared for the year. Previous to the 1 1th February 

 I had particularly looked out for the Crag-Martin without 

 success. I felt quite sure at the time that this movement 

 was a migratory and not merely a nomadic one, and 

 concluded that it represented the departure of those birds 

 which had wintered among the mountains in the interior 

 of the island, and not the passage of any individuals from 

 the southern coast of the Mediterranean. Skylarks, 

 also, which were met with on the northern lowlands on 

 the 18th February, we never saw subsequently. 



Analysing my notes, I find that these two very early 

 pioneer species of the spring migration were shortly 

 followed by the departure — for I firmly believe that the 

 influx of migrants from over the sea had not then 

 commenced — of those species which are purely winter 

 visitors to Crete, so that by the 15th March the island 

 was almost denuded of all its winter visitors ; and there 

 ensued a short period of bird-desolation, until the 19th 



