ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. , 459 
between these off-lying isles and the mainland, and often movements of 
an independent nature in some portion of the western area. 
The general route followed by these departing birds has its north- 
western source in the Outer Hebrides, and after leaving Barra Head it 
joins an important stream from the Inner Hebrides at Skerryvore. The 
course then followed is wi@ Dhuheartach, Islay, the Wigtonshire coast, 
the Isle of Man, Anglesey, and the South Bishop (off Pembrokeshire). 
Finally, the south-western coast of England is reached (possibly in part 
by an overland route across Devonshire and Cornwall) between the 
Scilly Islands and Start Point. 
In its course southward considerable tributaries, so to speak, are 
received at Cantire, Arran, the Ayrshire and Wigtonshire coasts, and the 
Solway, of birds passing down the west coast of Scotland. At the 
Bristol Channel emigrants are received from western England and Wales, 
and often also important contributions‘are added from the south-eastern 
coast of Ireland. 
In connection with these movements there are several more or less 
important features to note. (1) The English shores of the Irish Sea, 
'—1.e. the coasts of Cumberland and Lancashire—lie off the main line of 
these movements. (2) The north coast of Ireland, which seems to lie 
right in the course of the birds, and which would naturally be expected 
to come in for a considerable share of such movements, appears to be only 
occasionally affected by them. (3) The Irish contributory movements when 
they occur are chiefly, nay almost entirely, observed on the southern, and 
especially the south-eastern coasts. (4) The south-western coast of 
England and Wales—z.e. from the mouth of the Bristol Channel to the 
Land’s End and the Scilly Isles—appears to be especially affected when 
there are considerable movements on the southern and south-eastern 
coasts of Ireland, implying that there is much intermigration between 
these particular portions of the English and Irish coasts. Sometimes, 
however, these emigrations from Ireland only affect the south-west coast 
of England from the Bishop’s Rock (off Scilly) to Start Point. 
Irish Coasts.—The Irish chronicles have been most excellently and 
carefully kept, and the returns of specimens killed against the lanterns 
at the stations have been larger and more valuable than those furnished 
from the coasts of Great Britain. 
The coasts of Ireland do not constitute in themselves a main highway 
for birds, though they participate, along with the western shores of Great 
Britain, in certain movements to and from the far north on the part of 
the section of the birds of passage already alluded to. Indeed, the 
majority of the migrants observed on the shores of the sister isle are 
probably the migratory members of her own avifauna. 
The movements of departing birds during the autumn at the southern 
and south-eastern stations have already been mentioned, and when mi- 
gration is going on at this part of the coast there is often recorded an 
emigratory movement along the western coast from Slyne Head south- 
wards, which probably forms a contributory stream to the general 
movement to the south. These Irish emigrations, as a rule, occur 
simultaneously with similar movements passing down the western coast of 
Great Britain, and the two streams meet and unite at points between the 
‘Bristol Channel and the Scilly Isles. Some of the Irish autumnal 
flights, however, are quite independent of these general movements. 
There is much evidence to show that not only do the autumnal 
