182 THE BIRDS OF CORNWALL. 



II. Of the continental immigrants that strike the Kentish 

 shore many stream down through the Straits of Dover and west- 

 ward along the south coast of England and, by way of Cornwall, 

 ultimately reach in greatly diminished numbers the south-east 

 coast of Ireland. Many of the migratory birds from Central 

 Europe travel by this route, particularly Eooks and Larks. 



III. Streams and flocks of such birds as Wheatears, Chiff- 

 chaffs, Whitethroats, Wagtails, Pipits, Swallows, House Martins, 

 Sand Martins and Swifts undoubtedly come across to our south 

 coast in various directions from the opposite shores of the con- 

 tinent, from Cape de la Hague southwards. Some birds probably 

 come direct from Northern Africa by skirting the coast of 

 Spain and Portugal and crossing the Bay of Biscay, others cross 

 the Mediterranean, enter France at the Gulf of Lyons, and reach 

 us by way of Bordeaux and the west coast of France. 



IV. As might have been expected after consideration of the 

 second route, there is extensive autumn emigration from the south 

 and south-east of Ireland to the north and occasionally to the 

 south coast of Cornwall. 



V. Departing birds in autumn pass in a great stream down 

 the west coast of Great Britain, and in part at least over the 

 western extremity of the county. This stream no doubt unites 

 at times with that from the south-east of Ireland. 



VI. Autumn migrants from the northern countries of Europe, 

 and to some extent from the north of Asia, together with sea- 

 birds that have nested on the islands in the Arctic Seas to the 

 north of these two continents converge in great numbers u^Don 

 the north coast of Scotland and joining similar streams from 

 Iceland, the Faeroes and Greenland, turn southward in part along 

 route V, and in part coast round by the west of Ireland. Many 

 such wanderers come inland at Hayle estuary or strike on Scilly. 

 Probably most, if not all, of our many accidental visitors from 

 America arrive by this route instead of across the Atlantic. 



Such in brief outline are the principal routes traversed yearly 

 with occasional variations by the incoming or immigrant birds. 

 Most of the travellers by routes II and V are necessarily birds of 

 passage, though the majority of species adoj)ting these routes are 

 represented in the coimty by a fairly strong resident or at least 



