ON BIRD MIGRATION IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 44.7 
Bird Migration in Great Britain and Treland.—Second Interim Report 
of the Committee, consisting of Professor NEWTON (Chairman), the 
late Mr. Joun Corpgaux (Secretary), Mr. Harvie-Brown, Mr. 
R. M. Barrineron, Rey. E. Ponsonsy Knusiey, and Dr. H. O. 
ForsBEs, appointed to work out the details of the Observations of 
the Migration of Birds at Lighthouses and Lightships, 1880-87. 
Your Committee has to deplore the loss it has sustained by the recent 
death of its Secretary, Mr. Cordeaux, who, ever since the subject of the 
migration of birds was first brought before the Association at Swansea in 
1880, when he was made Secretary of the Committee then appointed, has 
devoted an incalculable amount of time and labour to the work in hand. 
Tf Mr. Cordeaux were not the first to suggest the employment of the 
light-keepers in obtaining observations, he was certainly the first to prove 
its practicability, and the success which attended the inquiry must be 
attributed almost wholly to his skilful conduct of it. All the complicated 
details of schedules, circulars, and other information supplied to the 
observers were carefully thought out by him, and he carried on the 
greater part of the necessary correspondence which, in the earlier years of 
this inquiry, was enormous, while raising by his own exertions the funds 
needed to defray its expenses, which amounted to at least twice as much 
as the grants from time to time received from the Association—though 
these have not been inconsiderable. Even a still greater service was per- 
formed by him in getting the men at the Lighthouses and Lightships to 
take a real interest in the business, for all depended on their cheerful 
co-operation, which was given voluntarily and was gratuitously rendered. 
In continuation of the Interim Report of last year, your Committee 
has to inform the Association that Mr. William Eagle Clarke, of the 
Museum of Science and Art at Edinburgh, has continued working out the 
details of the collected observations, in accordance with the scheme before 
indicated ; but that, as then stated, some two or three years will be 
needed to do this in a satisfactory way. The work is attended by some 
expense, and your Committee, while respectfully soliciting reappointment, 
begs also for a renewed grant of money. Your Committee has the satis. 
faction of presenting the following statement received from Mr. Clarke as 
to the progress he is making :— 
‘Considerable progress has been made since the last Report. The 
work of supplementing the data amassed by the Committee has been com- 
pleted, with the result that no fewer than about 15,000 useful records 
haye been added to the observations available. Most of these records 
have been tabulated, and incorporated with the original data, and the 
completion of this portion of the task is now receiving attention. 
‘In addition, all the information relating to the occurrences of the 
rarer species for all years has been amassed and will be utilised. 
‘I hope to proceed at once to treat of species, giving the results 
obtained concerning the migrations of each—a task which must neces: 
sarily take a considerable time to accomplish,’ 
Your Committee takes this opportunity of making known that one of 
its members (Mr. Barrington) has, on his own account, continued to 
collect observations from the Irish Lights since the year 1887, when they 
were discontinued by the Committee of the Association, and has printed 
the results, which contain many valuable records, up to 1896, 
