298 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



" It is during such autumnal movements that 

 the more southern coastline of Eastern England 

 and its off-shore fleet of lightships record night 

 migration. The ranks of the British emigrants 

 are, as we have said, recruited as they &y onward, 

 and if a great movement should be in progress 

 the causing-influence will affect also man}- birds 

 of passage which may be sojourning on our shores. 

 Two wings of the migratorj- army thus combine, 

 and a great ' rush ' to the south is the result. 



" IVest Coast of Great Britain. — The emigratory 

 movements v.-hich pass down the west coast are 

 far from being so simple in their geographical 

 details as those observed on the east. 



" That such should be the case is not surprising. 

 Here we have Ireland, the Isle of Man, the 

 Hebrides, and an erctremely irregular coastline 

 exercising their varied influences. In addition, 

 there are intermigrations 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 axi 

 important stream from the Inner Hebrides at 

 Skerrvvore. The course then followed is via 

 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 over- 

 land route across Devonshire and Cornwallj 

 between the Scilly Islands and Start Point. 



" In connection with these movements there are 

 several more or less important features to note, 

 (ij The English shores of the Irish Sea, i.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 onh" occasionally affected 

 by them. (3) The Irish contributory movements 

 when they occur are chiefly, nay almost entirely, 

 observed on the southern, and especially on the 

 south-eastern, coasts. (4) The south-western coast 

 of England and Wales — i.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 betv.-een these particular 

 portions of the English and Irish coasts. Some- 

 times, however, these emigrations from Ireland 

 only affect the south-v.est 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 them- 

 selves a main highway for birds, though . 

 the majority of the migrants observed on the shores 

 of the sister isle are probably the migratory 

 members of her own avifauna. The mo%-ements 

 of departing birds during the autumn at the 

 southern and south-eastern stations . . occur 



simultaneously with similar movements passing 

 down the v.-estern coast of Great Britain, and the 

 two streams meet and unite at points between the 

 Bristol Channel and the Scillv Isles. Some of the 



Irish autumnal flights, however, are quite indepen- 

 dent of these general movements. 



" There is much evidence to show that not only 

 do the autumnal emigrants depart from the south- 

 east coast of Ireland en route for more southern 

 winter-quarters, but also, strange to say, that many 

 birds (e.g., thrushes, redwings, blackbirds, chaf- 

 finches, greenfinches, linnets, starlings, larks) 

 almost simultaneously enter that county by this 

 ver}- same section of her shores, in order to winter 

 within her limits. These immigrants are often 

 observed arriving from the south-east in great 

 numbers for several days in succession. The 

 English west coast observations also bear evidence 

 that such movements proceed across St. George's 

 Channel in a north-westerly direction. These 

 cross-channel flights are usually observed during 

 the daytime, but sometimes the arrival of certain of 

 these birds on the Irish coast takes place during 

 the night. . . . Independently of and in addi- 

 tion to these main Irish migratory movements, 

 thrushes, larks and starlings occur in October 

 and November on the northern coasts of Ireland, 

 from Tory Island to the Maidens, as immigrants 

 from Scotland. These are to be correlated with 

 movements of the same species observed at the 

 Rhinns of Islay and the Wigton coast. Larks, 

 too, are often recorded for this route during the 

 daytime. There are also autumnal movements 

 between Ireland and England and Wales bv an 

 east-to-west flight across the Irish Sea, on the part 

 of starlings, chaffinches, greenfinches, larks, and 

 sometimes of various species of thrushes. Anglesey 

 is the chief Welsh point, and Rockabill (off the 

 north coast of Co. Dublin) the main Irish station 

 at v.'hich these departures and arrivals are ob- 

 served. The migratory movements obser^'ed on 

 the west coast of Ireland are neither many nor 

 important. . . 



"South Coast of England. — It is much to be 

 regretted that observations relating to the migra- 

 tions of birds on the southern coast of England as 

 a U'hole where not obtained by the Committee. 

 The data bearing upon this important English 

 coast-line are from a few stations on the south- 

 eastern and south-western portions only. This 

 information points to (i) a considerable amount of 

 migration taking place between these portions of 

 the coast-line and South-western Europe, and (2) 

 important movements passing along the entire coast- 

 line from east to west in autumn and probably 

 vice versa in spring. The south coast is naturally 

 the great scene of the arrival and departure of 

 migratory birds of all descriptions, but the move- 

 ments along shore are, perhaps, in some of their 

 aspects, more interesting. Regarding these last, 

 much remains to be ascertained concerning their 

 precise nature and the destination of some of the 

 birds travelling along this route. 



" In the autumn this coasting stream of birds 

 has its source chiefly in the immigratory move- 

 ments from the Continent across the southern 

 waters of the North Sea bj^ the East and West 

 Route, of which it is but a continuation. It is 

 possible also that British emigrants after passing 

 down the east coast of England may turn to the 

 westward and skirt the south coast, but this is not 

 shown with certaint}-. The Continental immi- 

 grants strike the Kentish shore, and, as has been 

 already stated, some pass to the north along the 

 east coast of England, while others pursue a 

 westerh- course along our shores of the channel. 

 The stations on the south-western coast again 

 record these migrants, and the probable destination 



