232 REPORT—1883. 
the 15th they were continually striking all night. During the autumn 
enormous numbers crossed Heligoland, more especially in October. On 
the night from the 28th to the 29th Mr. Gitke remarks: ‘We have had 
a perfect storm of gold-crests, perching on the ledges of the window- 
panes of the lighthouse, preening their feathers in the glare of the lamps. 
On the 29th all the island swarmed with them, filling the gardens and 
over all the cliff—hundreds of thousands. By 9 a.m. most of them had 
passed on again.’ Not less remarkable was the great three days’ flight 
of the common jay, past and across Heligoland, on the 6th, 7th, and 8th 
of October. Thousands on thousands, without interruption, passed on 
overhead, north and south of the island too, multitudes like a continual 
stream, all going east to west in a strong south-easterly gale. It would 
have been interesting if we had been able to correlate this migration of 
jays with any visible arrival on our English coast, but in none of the 
returns is any mention made of jays. Subsequently we have received 
numerous notices of extraordinary numbers seen during the winter in our 
English woodlands. This seems especially to have been the case south 
of a line drawn from Flamborough Head to Portland Bill in Dorset. 
Additions and unusual numbers were also observed at Arden on Loch 
Lomond side. 
Immense numbers of the hedge-sparrow passed over Heligoland in 
October, more especially on the 6th, 7th, and 8th. It is curious that on 
the 8th of the same month they swarmed in astonishing numbers both at 
Spurn Point and in North-east Lincolnshire. 
Woodcocks arrived on the east coast on the night of October 12th, 
or early morning of the 13th. Wind east, strong, fog and drizzling rain. 
On the morning of the 13th they are recorded from ten stations, covering’ 
350 miles of coast, from the Isle of May to Orfordness. 
Some species which occur with tolerable regularity on the east coast, 
have during the autumn of 1882 been remarkably scarce. Very few 
short-eared owls have been seen in England or Scotland. The common 
linnet and twite have also been very scarce, and the same remarks apply 
to Heligoland.! 
The returns show very clearly that the spring lines of migration 
followed by birds are the same as those in the autumn, but of course 
in the reverse direction—from W. and N.W. to E.and S.H. Another 
point worth noting is the occurrence of many species in spring at the 
same stations frequented by the species in autumn. Thus double records: 
occur at the Mull of Galloway, Bell Rock, Isle of May, as well as at 
some English stations. 
As this is the fourth report issued by the Committee, we may perhaps,. 
with the mass of facts at our disposal, be expected to draw deductions 
which, if they do not explain, may serve at least to throw some light on 
the causes influencing the migration of birds. We might reasonably reply 
that the work undertaken by us was not to theorise, or attempt explana- 
tions, but simply to collect facts and tabulate them; this we have endea- 
voured to do, in the shortest and simplest manner consistent with accuracy 
of detail. There is, however, one circumstance which can scarcely fail to 
present itself to those who have gone carefully into the reports issued by 
the Committee, namely, the marvellous persistency with which, year by 
1 There was a vast rush of the common linnet at the Isle of May from the 9th to. 
the 28rd of October. 
Kl 
