THE GREAT WAXWING INVASION OF 1 92 I 195 



Scandinavia and made their first venture southwards on the 

 western route, would be compelled, by lack of food at each 

 place of arrival, to make a further journey ; so that eventually 

 they would tend to congregate in the southernmost corner 

 of Norway. Now although I have no information about the 

 congregation of Waxwings in southern Norway in 192 1, we 

 know that in former exceptional years they have gathered 

 there in overwhelming numbers. In January 1872 Professor 

 R. Collett of Christiania University records that they 

 appeared " in immense flocks, consisting of thousands of 

 individuals, and were brought in cart-loads to the game- 

 market of Christiania. The plentiful supply of Rowan 

 berries sufficiently accounted for their numbers." ^ But the 

 absence of food throughout Norway would hasten the 

 southward movement, so that instead of appearing in the 

 neighbourhood of Christiania in January, as they did in 

 1872, they apparently reached the southern limit of the 

 land in the end of October or early days of November. 



This completes the first stage of the Waxwing migration ; 

 we have accounted for the presence of large flocks of Wax- 

 wings in southern Norway. Up to this point the birds had 

 not been subjected to the caprice of meteorological conditions, 

 for their migration had consisted of short land flights which 

 never brought them within the influence of the winds. The 

 second stage of the migration is a very different story. 



The Second Stage of the Migration — Meteorological 

 Conditions. — The Waxwings, still finding the country of 

 southern Norway bare of food, as Lord Salvesen clearly 

 states, were bound to continue their journeyings, but hemmed 

 in on all sides by the sea, except on the north, whence they 

 had come, they were compelled for the first time to take 

 to the air and make a serious flight. This flight exposed 

 them, also for the first time, to the forces of the wind ; 

 and to this is due the appearance of the Waxwings in 

 Britain. 



I have examined with some care the meteorological 

 conditions, at and before the critical period of migration, 

 in southern Norway and over the North Sea, and although 

 ^ Dresser's Birds of Europe, vol. iii., p. 433. (My italics.) 



