OS BIRD mGRATION. 375 



seen later, especially in the south-west. December Swallows are rarce 

 aves, and were only observed in one year of the inquiry. The autumn of 

 1880 was remarkable for the protracted stay of the llirundinidce, and 

 a few belated Swallows were recorded on the south coast of England in 

 the last week of November, while in December one was observed at 

 Bournemouth on the 7th, and two at Eastbourne, and one at Woolmer on 

 the 11th, the weather until that time having been mild.^ 



Aittumn Passage along tlie British Coast from Northern Europe. — The 

 return of the Swallows which have summered in Scandinavia (accom- 

 panied by their young), and their passage along our coast, usually takes 

 place from the middle of September ^ onwards, the 9th of that month 

 (in 1884) being the earliest day on which their movement is recorded. 

 The passage is well maintained during the rest of the month, and is 

 prolonged by a few birds to the first or even second week of October. 

 Some of these travellers from the north are perhaps induced by our 

 milder climate to tarry, and it is possibly such laggards that occur on or 

 near our east coast in November, and thus account for the lateness of 

 migration there observable when compared with the west coast. It has 

 been already remarked that, after their arrival on our shoi'es. Swallows on 

 autumn passage mix with our native birds then emigrating, and it is no 

 longer possible to trace the former, though they doubtless form the bulk 

 of the rear-guard movements of the autumn. In Shetland and Orkney 

 there is no appearance of these returning Swallows of passage, and but 

 feeble evidence of their taking the Hebrides on their way, though the 

 records indicate such a transit during September and the first day of 

 October. There are passage movements on the part of Irish birds dis- 

 cernible in the the south-west of England to the third week of October, 

 with occasional stragglers to the middle of November. In September 

 of some years Swallows are recorded at the lightships off the mouth of 

 the Thames and the Kentish coast as coming from the south-east, and 

 occasionally in considerable numbers. 



Further Observations on the Autumn Movements. — At the best stations 

 for observing emigration it usually takes the form of the continuous 

 passage of small parties, not exceeding a score, and as this may last for 

 hours vast numbers thus depart. They have, however, been observed on 

 the south coast to assemble in thousands aod fly away en masse, but this 

 is only occasionally recorded. Swallows are frequently seen to emigrate 

 in company with House Martins and occasionally with Sand Martins. 

 The earliest troops to cross the channel are observed to be composed of old 

 and young birds. It has, however, been noticed that the large congrega- 

 tions at various points on the south coast, whether preparing to emigrate 

 or in actual movement, consist in many cases chiefly or entirely of young 

 birds, but in others wholly of adults. More frequently, however, the 

 number of old birds is in normal proportion to that of the young. The 

 time of the day at which emigration takes place seems equally varied. 

 On the south coast some of the great movements are recorded as in 



' Mr. Joseph Agnew, light-keeper, states that a Swallow was caxight on the 

 Monach Isles (with the exception of 8t. Kilda, the outermost of the Hebrides) in 

 January 1887, but he unfortunately furnished no farther particulars of the 

 occurrence. 



^ Professor Collett states that Swallows begin to leave Southern Norway the first 

 week of September, and that he has known individuals to remain there so late as the 

 middle of October. 



