ON THE MIGRATION OP BIRDS. 191 



the coast, persistently follow the shore-line to the south, blithe waders 

 and other shore-birds, as well as Geeae, Bucks, Divers, and Gulls, and 

 sea-fowl generallj', move from north to south — cutting the line of the 

 Passeres at right angles. As a rule, the sea- fowl migrate some distance out 

 at sea, the waders along the coast. Although, as yet, the Committee 

 have no stations, except Heligoland, on the European side of the North 

 Sea, it may fairly be presumed that there is similarly another stream of 

 birds passing down the coast-line of Europe. Migration, as observed on 

 that island for many years, by that veteran ornithologist, Herr Gatke, 

 points to the undoubted fact that the line followed by birds is, as a rule, 

 from E. to W., and doubtless some portion of these Heligoland birds 

 keep moving westward or south-westward till, eventually, they strike 

 our east coast. There are, however, many species which appear to make 

 Heligoland the western iDoundary of their autumn wanderings, and 

 crossing, as they do, that island in enormous numbers, must eventually 

 follow the coast-line to the south, for the simple reason that they never 

 occur on our own coast, except as very rare and occasional wanderers. 

 Such are the WJdte-Wagtail and Blue-headed Wagtail of the Continent, 

 the Blue-throat, Ortolan, Lapland Bunting, Richard's Pipit, and, in a 

 less degree, the Pied-flycatcher and Shore-lark. These, then, must all 

 pass southward along the European coast, as do, doubtless, an immense 

 majority of those countless Sparrow-haivks, Siskins, and more familiar 

 birds, which cross that island in the autumn migration ; and just as, 

 occasionally, some species, whose line of migration lies further eastward 

 still, turn up on the old rock as wanderers from the regular track, so do, 

 occasionally, now one and now another of the regular Heligoland 

 immigrants get blown across to our side. 



The observations taken at some of the southern stations, in 1879 and 

 1880, show that, in the autumn, there is what may be called a double 

 stream of birds, crossing each other near the entrance to the English 

 Channel, that is, from the Essex and Kent coast towards the S.E. on the 

 French and Belgian coast, and again, in the opposite direction, from 

 Belgium to the coast of Kent. During the severe weather in the early 

 part of December, 1880, flocks of birds came to us direct from the 

 French coast, or from S. to N. These latter must be considered purely 

 local migrations, caused by sudden outbursts of severe weather. 



It is a curious fact that, in nearly every case of birds passing the 

 Casquets off Alderney, in the past autumn, they were travelling in a 

 N.W. direction, or from the French to the English coast, a line of 

 migration which does not seem to be in proper accord with that 

 we should imagine migrating birds would, or rather ought to, take. 

 On reference to the chart of the Channel, it is apparent that any flocks 

 leaving the French coast at or near Cape de la Hogue, and crossing 

 Alderney, when once off the Casquets, might as readily and easily steer 

 their course for the Start Point, on the English side, as across the wide 

 break in the French coast for Port Sillon, each being about equal distances 

 from the Casquets. Not the least interesting portion of the full report 

 refers to the large flocks of birds seen during the autumn of 1880 far 

 out over the Atlantic. The great easterly gales, continuing for weeks 

 together over the Atlantic and North of Europe, so disastrous to our 

 shipping, undoubtedly carried many migrants far to the westward, and 

 the mortality amongst them must have been very great indeed, to judge 

 from the few records that have arrived from seagoing vessels. These 



