THE ZOOLOGIST. 
THIRD SERIES. 
Vot. I.] Pa RA RY Ee 77, [No. 2. 
ON THE AUTUMNAL MIGRATION OF BIRDS ON 
THE YORKSHIRE COAST. 
By Frepericx Boyzs. 
On the 23rd of October last I went down to Spurn Head to 
witness the arrival of our autumn immigrants, and an account of 
what I saw may be of interest to the readers of ‘ The Zoologist.’ 
First, as to the place, Spurn Point is the terminal portion of a 
narrow peninsula about four miles in length, which is washed by 
the sea on the one side, and the Humber on the other. It was in 
olden times very much broader than it is now; indeed it is not 
unlikely that the sea will eventually swallow it up altogether, 
since, even within the memory of man, it has made such encroach- 
ments that there is now in some places only a very narrow strip 
a few yards in width unwashed by the tide, and as this is composed 
entirely of sandhills and “bent” grass, it offers but a poor resistance 
against a rough sea. The spot is well situated for the observation 
of migratory birds as they pass overhead or rest after their long 
journeys, and has long been noted for the number that annually 
alight there, many of them being so fatigued with their passage that 
they are only too glad to pitch on the first strip of land they fall in 
with, no matter how unsuited it may be to their natural requirements. 
During the two or three days of easterly winds which prevailed 
previous to my visit, a great portion of the large army of southward- 
bound birds had already passed Spurn; but I was not too late to 
see much that was interesting, and to note a few facts that were 
either new to me, or of which I had previously heard only by 
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