458 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



The entries in the schedules returned to us have, as might be 

 expected, special reference to the movements of various species of 

 land-birds ; yet man}' observations will be found in the general 

 report, on the going and coming of seafowl, which dwell for a 

 season on the cliffs, islands, and outlying rocks off our coasts, 

 their mode of feeding, nesting, &c. These are valuable as made 

 by those who actually live amongst the birds, and have ample 

 opportunity and leisure to observe their habits and report thereon. 

 Thus the presence of the Gannet all around the coast of Ireland 

 during the breeding season points to the conclusion that a 

 considerable proportion of the birds seen do not breed. The 

 Little Skellig Rock, off the Kerry coast, is the only Irish 

 breeding-place of this species, and when visited by Mr. Barrington 

 in 1880 there were scarcely thirty pairs nesting there. 



As in preceding years, the lines of autumn migration has been 

 a broad stream from east to west, or from points south of east to 

 north of west, and covering the whole of the east coast. In 1880, 

 to judge from the returned schedules, a large proportion of the 

 immigrants came in at the more southern stations; in 1881 they 

 covered the whole of the east coast in tolerably equal proportions; 

 but in 1882 the stations north of the Humber showed a marked 

 preponderance of arrivals. Altogether a vast migration took place 

 this year upon our east coast, the heaviest waves breaking upon 

 the mouth of the Humber, Flamborough Head, the Fame Islands, 

 Isle of May at the entrance to the Firth of Forth, and again, 

 after missing a long extent of the Scotch coast, at the Pentland 

 Skerries.* The Bell Rock also came in for a share, although 

 apparently a much smaller one than the Isle of May. The 

 easterly winds prevailed all along our east coasts, generally strong 

 to gales, and the succession of south-easterly and easterly gales 

 in October, between the 8th and 23rd, occurring as they did at 

 the usual time of the principal migration, brought vast numbers 

 of land birds to our shores. From the Faroes in the north to the 

 extreme south of England this is found to have been the case. 



* The absence of returns, year by year, on the Scotch coast between the 

 Bell Rock and Dunnet Head, embracing ten important lighthouses, is 

 remarkable, not a single statistic of direct value as regards general migration 

 having, so far, rewarded our inquiries. No communications, positive or 

 negative, have been received from these stations, except a brief return from 

 Girdleness. 



