5°o 



NA TURE 



{Sept. 1 8, 1884 



vessels, were, as a rule, coming from easterly and passing in 

 westerly directions. The entries show a great immigration of 

 our ordinary autumn migrants from the east in the spring months, 

 and on exactly the same lines and directions as are travelled 

 by the same species in autumn. Had this movement been 

 observed at one station only, we might perhaps have been 

 induced to doubt the accuracy of the return, but the fact of 

 five light-vessels, having no communication with each other, re- 

 porting the same circumstances, proves the correctness of the 

 observations. On the cast coast of Scotland Mr. J. A. Harvie- 

 Brown says that the autumn migration of 1883 was pronounced, 

 culminating in a grand rush from October 28 to November 3. The 

 heaviest rush of birds, as compared with other years, was observed 

 at the Isle of May on October 13 and 14. This was with a south 

 wind, although as a rule it is a south-east wind at that point 

 which brings the greatest flights. In the autumn of 1882, on 

 the east coast of Scotland, the bulk of immigrants are recorded 

 at the southern stations ; in 18S3 these conditions were reversed, 

 the bulk being recorded from northern stations. On the east 

 coast of England, in 1883, birds appear to have been very equally 

 distributed over the whole coast-line. It will be gathered from 

 the General Report that the dates of the rushes on the east 

 coast of Scotland were slightly later than those on the east coast 

 of England, and that the migrations past the more northerly 

 stations in Scotland were in proportion later than in the south, 

 and also that the dates of the heaviest rushes on the east coast 

 agree fairly with the dates from the west coast. From the 

 coasts of Ireland Messrs. A. G. More and R. M. Barrington 

 report a decided improvement in filling up the schedules, in 

 some cases three or four being returned from the same station. 

 Forty-two stations were supplied with schedules in the spring of 

 1SS3, and thirty-five in the autumn of the same year, returns 

 coming in from thirty-four, one only failing. The number of 

 migrants in the autumn seems to have been more than usual. 

 A great rush of thrushes (including, f probably, redwings). Mack- 

 birds, and starlings, took place at the south-eastern and southern 

 stations between October 25 and November 2 — dates which 

 agree with the great rush on the east coast of England. The 

 migration was particularly marked at the Tuskar Rock, off the 

 Wexford coast, which is proving itself the best Irish station, 

 and no doubt marks the line of the chief passage from the 

 British coast. The bulk of the immigrants appear to arrive 

 on the south-eastern coast of Ireland, excepting such birds as 

 the bernicle-goose and snow-bunting, which are mainly recorded 

 from north-western stations, and rarely entered in schedules 

 from the east or south coast. An interesting feature this year is 

 the occurrence of several examples of the Greenland falcon on 

 the west coast, no less than eight having been shot at various 

 points from Donegal to Cork, and one Iceland falcon at West- 

 port. Independent of the ordinary notes on migration, the 

 general remarks of the light-keepers with reference to the nesting 

 of sea-fowl on the islands or outlying skerries are of great 

 interest, and no matter what results are arrived at from this 

 special inquiry, it is satisfactory to be in correspondence with 

 such a number of observers at isolated spots around the coast, 

 and the information supplied cannot fail to be of much interest 

 to future compilers. An interesting feature of the autumn 

 migration is the occurrence of a flight of the blue-throated 

 warbler (Cyanecula suecica). A single adult with bright-blue 

 In east was observed at the Isle of May on the night of Septem- 

 ber 2-3. On the east coast of England twelve were obtained, 

 all being birds of the year, and of these nine on the coast of 

 Norfolk, besides about twenty others seen by competent ob- 

 servers. Very few goldcrests, compared with the enormous 

 flights of the previous autumn, have appeared, and the same 

 scarcity is observable in the Heligoland returns. Curiously 

 enough, the hedge-sparrow (Accentor /nodularis), which migrated 

 in immense numbers in the same autumn, has been almost 

 entirely absent. About half a dozen are recorded at Heligo- 

 land, none on the east coast of England. Of the enormous im- 

 migration which crosses our east coast in the autumn, either to 

 winter in these islands or merely on passage across them, a 

 small proportion only appear to return by the same routes. 

 Spring returns from lighthouses and light-vessels show that 

 birds then move on the same lines as in the autumn, but in the 

 reverse direction. These return travellers do not, however, 

 represent anything like a tithe of the visible immigrants which, 

 week after week and month by month, in the autumn, move in 

 one broad stream on to the east coast. What is called the 

 " first flight " of the woodcock arrived on the Yorkshire, Lin- 



colnshire, and Norfolk coasts on the night of October 21. The 

 "great flight," or rush, which covered the whole of the east 

 coast from the Fame Islands to Yarmouth was on the nights of 

 the 28th and 29th. These two periods correlate with the princi- 

 pal flights of woodcock across Heligoland. But few woodcock 

 were recorded from stations on the east coast of Scotland, al- 

 though at the Bell Rock Lighthouse, on the night from 

 October 31 to November 1, Mr. Jack reports an enormous rush 

 of various species, commencing at 7 p.m. Immense numbers 

 were killed, pitching into the sea. "What we thought were 

 woodcocks struck with great force ; birds continued flying within 

 the influence of the rays of light till the first streak of day, con- 

 tinually striking hard all night ; we believe a great number of 

 woodcocks struck and fell into the sea." Mr. Harvie-Brown 

 records a very great spring migration of woodcock which appear 

 to have crossed Scotland between the Clyde and the Forth on 

 March 9, 10, 11, and 12, 18S4. These were observed to be the 

 small red Scandinavian bird, which are quite unmistakable and 

 distinct from British-bred birds. The occurrence of Locustella 

 fluviatilis at the Stevns Lighthouse at the entrance of the Ore- 

 sund in Zealand is interesting, as it is the first recorded Danish 

 example of this species. Altogether there has been a very 

 marked absence on our British coasts of rare and casual visitants. 

 The roller (Coracias garrula) occurred in October in two 

 localities — one in Lincolnshire, the other in Suffolk. Two 

 examples of the sooty shearwater (Pujfuus griseus) were ob- 

 tained in Bridlington Bay about the end of September. The 

 island of Heligoland retains its pre-eminence as the casual 

 resting-place of rare wanderers from other lands; and Mr. 

 Gatke's list for 18S3 includes Tardus varins, Pratincola rubi- 

 cola, var. indica, Phylloscopus superciliosus, Hypolais pallida, 

 Motacilla citreola, Anthus cervinus, A. richardi, Oriolus 

 galbiila, Lanius ma/or, Muscicapa fiarva, Linota exdipes, 

 Emberiza melanocephala, E. cirlus, E. rustics, E. pusilla, 

 Pastor roscus, and Xema sabinii. It is well known that large 

 numbers of European birds, presumably driven out of their 

 course, are seen during the autumn migration far out over the 

 Atlantic, alighting on the ocean-going steamers. It is proposed 

 by Mr. Harvie-Brown to supply schedules to the principal lines 

 of ocean steam-vessels for the better recording of these occur- 

 rences. It must be borne in mind that the immense and 

 constantly-increasing traffic which in these days bridges the 

 Atlantic and unites the Old and New Worlds, offers unusual 

 chances for birds to break their flight, and ultimately, perhaps, 

 to reach the American coast. In the comparatively narrow seas 

 between the European continent and Great Britain birds are 

 frequently noted as alighting on the rigging of vessels and light- 

 ships, roosting in the rigging during the night, to resume their 

 flight at the first streak of dawn. It is a matter of congratula- 

 tion that our American and Canadian fellow-workers have insti- 

 tuted a similar system of observation on the migration of birds. 

 At the first Congress of the American Ornithologists' Union, 

 held at New York City, September 26 to 28, 1883, a Committee 

 on the Migration of Birds was appointed. It is intended to 

 investigate this in all its bearings and to the fullest possible 

 extent, not only in the accumulation of records of the times of 

 arrival and departure of the different species, but to embrace 

 the collection of all data that may aid in determining the causes 

 which influence migration from season to season. Your Com- 

 mittee respectfully request their reappointment, and trust that 

 the Association will enable them to continue the collection of 

 facts. 



Tenth Report of the Committee, consisting of Prof E. Hull, 

 the Rev. H. W. Crosskey, and Messrs. James Glaiskir, H. 

 Marten, E. B. Marten, G. H. Morton, W. Pengelly, James 

 Plant, I. Roberts, Thos. S. Stooke, G. J. Symons, IV. Topley, 

 E. Wethered, W. Whitakcr, and C. E. De Ranee (Secretary 

 and Reporter), appointed for the Purpose of Investigating the 

 Circulation of Underground 11 aters in the Permeable Eorma- 

 tions of England and Wales, and the Quantity and Character 

 of the Water Supplied to Various Towns and Districts from 

 those Formations. Drawn up by C. E. De Ranee. — The Chair- 

 man and Secretary of your Committee are both unavoidably 

 obliged to be absent from the Montreal meeting, which is a source 

 of regret to themselves ; the more so that, this being the case, it 

 has been thought advisable to delay presenting their final Report 

 on the Circulation of Underground Waters in South Britain until 

 next year, when the Committee will have been twelve years in. 

 existence. During these years particulars have been collected 



