7350 Birds. 



day. Of course I could not at all calculate the number of birds which passed in those 

 two or three hours ; but, seeing that there was never more than a very few minutes' 

 cessation, if so much, and that often there was a widely-scattered flock of Hirundines 

 and a very dense one of the others, I should think some thousands must have gone by. 

 On the 8th 1 was earlier on the look-out, and noticed a similar tide of birds to begin 

 flowing southward soon after sunrise, and to continue till about the same hour as on 

 the previous day; the chimney swallow by far the most numerous. On the 9tli and 

 10th the weather was less favourable, and much fewer birds passed; yet the same 

 thing occurred to a limited extent, and continued, gradually lessening, up to the 20th, 

 with the exception oC one day (the 16lh I believe), which was very stormy, and on 

 which none were observed. On the 17lh a very large flock of house martins almost 

 covered a sloping warm roof of a farm-bouse at Walton, a mile distant, evidently pre- 

 paring for their departure, yet basking in about the warmest sunsliioe we had known 

 all the year. I spoke of the migration past our window as continuing up to the 20lh 

 of October. On this day a great multitude passed by, but by far the larger propor- 

 tion were house martins, from which it would seem that this bird is rather the latest 

 in leaving us. A few, and but a very few, were observed on the 21st. Not a solitary 

 individual of the summer visitors was seen on the 22ud, 23rd or 24lh, except that on 

 the 23rd, on visiting the roof where such a multitude of martins had congregated on 

 the 17th, two very feeble chimney swallows were perceived to have settled upon it, — 

 decidedly late birds of this year, in too weak a state to attempt a flight to distant 

 lands. All the resident martins had disappeared from our habitation on the 22ud, 

 doubtless gone with later migrations to seek a warmer clime. Query, why should the 

 birds pass in the mornings only, all symptoms of migration ceasing before 11 o'clock? 

 If any individuals were observed after this lime they were only lo be seen hawking up 

 and down as usual. It may be suggested Irom the foregoing observations that migra-~ 

 tion takes place gradually, — that reinforcements swell the tide of birds as it sweeps 

 along the line of coast, and that these interesting summer denizens of our groves, our 

 gardens and our habitations repair to tbe shore at the time of departure, and keep 

 along the coast, crossing the estuaries, until probably they reach the Straits of Dover, 

 where tbe Continent of Europe may be reached without much risk, and from whence 

 but little of the mighty deep need be encountered in passing to tbe warm regions of 

 Africa. Ou the 25th of October I saw six individuals of the chimney swallow on the 

 wing, some distance from the oast, to all appearance in the act of migration. On the 

 12th I observed considerable flocks of skylarks arriving from ofi" the sea. At first it 

 did not strike me as anything unusual or strange; but, having noticed the same thing 

 repeatedly since, I am inclined to think that there is an influx of these birds to our 

 shores in the autumn, or how can we account for the immense flocks that cover our 

 fields in the winter? I noticed also that they began their delightlul song (to me they 

 are tbe sweetest of all our choristers) about the first week in this month, and that it 

 has continued to this day (the 25ih), so that the fields resound with their music fully 

 as much as in spring. The hooded crow has also appeared here within a few weeks 

 in great numbers, and seems to be the prevailing crow in this locality. Five wild 

 geese, probably Brent or bernacle, seen on the 17th, flying not far distant over the 

 sea; and six geese on the 21st, also over the sea, but more distant. On the 25th I 

 saw a flock of ducks, or of the duck family, at a distance over the sea. The last few 

 days, viz., from the 21st to the 25th, I have observed the mountain sparrow. One was 

 hopping about ou the shore but a few yards from our feet, seeming very tired and 



