64 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Duhlin Society. 



see in winter, are not, I think, the same individuals which have 

 remained and bred with us during the summer. The two former 

 species migrate to a considerable extent during the daytime. In 

 autumn I have constantly seen small flocks coming from the 

 north. Like specks in the distance they come steadily on, the 

 robins in little bands of from half a dozen to twenty ; they light 

 on a tree, and sit there apparently resting themselves for some 

 time, then suddenly they all start again and fly ofi" straight, as far 

 as the eye can follow them, to the south. I have often timed the 

 robins by my watch, and generally find they remain for ten 

 minutes or a little more, but sometimes they wiJlstay for half an 

 hour. The bluebirds come in fewer numbers — from one or two 

 to half a dozen. They do not fly so far at once, and generally 

 alight on the very top of some tall tree, where they often stay 

 scarcely two minutes, though sometimes they will remain a long 

 time, generally incessantly uttering their call note. 



Although I have noticed this form of migration in robins, yet 

 I also observe that they, perhaps more than any other bird, are 

 prone to appear suddenly in flocks in a particular locality, which 

 they will frequent in great numbers for a few days, and then dis- 

 appear, following what I believe to be the ordinary rule of migra- 

 tion among small birds. 



Wild pigeons also migrate largely during the daytime ; in com- 

 paratively small bands in spring, which often stop with us some 

 time, but often m immense armies in autumn, which rarely halt. 



The males of some birds, especially the warblers, often arrive 

 before the females, and are sometimes quite numerous for some 

 days before a single female has been seen. This is, perhaps, most 

 markedly the case with the black-and-white creeping warbler. 



Regularly every year, also, I have noticed that in the autumn 

 migration southward, the localities frequented by some birds 

 difl'er entirely from those which are sought by the same species 

 when advancing northward in spring ; this is notably the case 

 with the pine warbler, as mentioned under the head of that sj^ecies. 



Although scarcely more than one hundred miles from the 

 Atlantic, T have never, during all the time I have been there, 

 seen a single gull, or truly saltwater bird in the district of which 

 I write, even after the worst and most stormy weather, nor at 

 any season of the year. 



