SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



299 



of many, perhaps most of them, is Ireland, on 

 whose south-eastern shores the birds are chronicled, 

 almost simultaneously, as arriving in great numbers 

 from the south-east. 



"The great autumnal movements from east to 

 west along the south coast of England are renewed 

 in winter, when that season is characterized by 

 periods of unusual cold. At such times it is possible 

 that this western stream is composed in part of 

 native emigrants which have passed down our 

 eastern coasts, as well as of birds of continental 

 origin. 



"Channel Islands. — Records from the Hanois 

 Lighthouse, situated some two miles off the west 

 coast of Guernsey, were furnished for each of the 

 years of the enquiry, and afford some useful 

 information. These, when compared with the 

 English and Irish chronicles, show that on nearly 

 every occasion on which considerable migration 

 was observed at this station in the autumn, there 

 was also much emigration going on practically 

 simultaneously on the south-west coast of 

 England. It is necessary, however, to state that 

 a number of important movements on the south- 

 west coast of England do not appear in the records 

 for Hanois, indicating, perhaps, that many move- 

 ments to the south in autumn and to the north in 

 spring pass to the westward of this station. In the 

 spring, swallows are observed passing to both the 

 north-east and north-west in great numbers during 

 April and May, and a number of other summer 

 birds are recorded on passage. 



" SEASONAL. 



" The seasonal section of the Report is readily 

 subdivided for treatment in autumn, winter and 

 spring. ... In the autumn the birds, when 

 they appear on our shores, have accomplished the 

 great business of the year — procreation. Food 

 is still abundant in their favourite resting-haunts, 

 and hence there is no particular hurry to move 

 southwards. Thus many species tarry on our 

 coasts or in their vicinity, some for a considerable 

 period. Their numbers are, of course, incom- 

 parably greater than during the northward journey, 

 as they are swelled by the numerous young birds, 

 now a few weeks old. All these circumstances and 

 conditions combine to make the autumn move- 

 ments comparatively easy of observation. 



" In spring the conditions are quite different. 

 The all-absorbing duties of the season and the 

 procreative influence are upon the voyagers, and 

 since our islands form one of the last stages in 

 the journey of many species, the birds usually 

 hurry on after a short sojourn for rest and food. 

 All that it is necessary to say here regarding the 

 winter movements is that they are entirely the 

 effect of severe weather. 



"Autumn Immigration. — As the summer, more 

 particularly the Arctic summer, is at its height 

 during July, it is not to be expected that immi- 

 grants among the northern summer-birds would 

 appear on our shores on their return journey during 

 this month. The initial movements of the autumn, 

 whatever their significance may be, do, as a matter 

 of fact, set in towards the end of July. Of the 

 species observed, the whimbrel and. the knot are 

 the most frequently recorded. The green sand- 

 piper, curlew sandpiper, bar-tailed godwit and 

 turnstone are less frequent. A few others appear 

 only occasionally in the chronicles of the month. 



In all probability these July immigrants, or the 

 majority of them, are non-breeding birds ot their 

 respective species, which have not, perhaps, pro- 

 ceeded far beyond the limits of Britain on their 

 spring journey northward. That such is the case 

 is borne out by the fact that these July birds are 

 all, so far as reported, adults. Immigration sets 

 in in earnest during August on the part of those 

 species breeding northwards beyond the British 

 area, and either occurring as birds of passage or as 

 winter visitors to our isles. The former include 

 the northern representatives of several species 

 which are summer visitors to Britain. The return 

 movements of twenty-six species of birds whose 

 summer haunts lie entirely beyond the British area 

 are chronicled for the month. During September 

 a marked increase in immigration takes place as 

 regards both species and more especially indivi- 

 duals. In all, over forty species of European birds 

 which do not summer in Britain are recorded as 

 migrants for September, including all the species 

 regularly recorded for August. In some years 

 (1881 and 1883) there have occurred in September 

 the first of the great autumnal ' rushes ' of im- 

 migrants from the north to our shores. These 

 decided movements are, however, entirely the effect 

 of meteorological conditions at the seat of emigra- 

 tion, of which special mention is presently to be 

 made in the Meteorological Section. In October 

 the flood of immigratory birds reaches its highest 

 level, and there are experienced those vast 

 'rushes' upon our shores just mentioned. The 

 additions to the list of extra-British breeding 

 species are comparatively numerous, forty-seven 

 species of regular birds of passage, besides many 

 other birds breeding in both northern Europe 

 and Britain, being recorded. . . . The immi- 

 gratory movements occurring in November are 

 not only on a very much reduced scale, but 

 after the middle of the month the immigration of such 

 birds as spend the summer in the north entirely ceases, 

 with the exception of those of certain marine 

 species (ducks, gulls, grebes, swans) whose late 

 movements to the south are dependent upon 

 severe weather conditions. This is entirely 

 contrary to the views hitherto propounded regarding 

 the limits of these movements, but it is, nevertheless, 

 a fact well established by this inquiry. . 

 The immigrants hitherto considered are those 

 derived from the north. There now remain for 

 treatment those which reach us by a westerly 

 movement along the east and west route, and arrive 

 on the south-eastern shores of England. These 

 diurnal movements set in during the latter days of 

 September, when larks, ' crows ' (rooks), tree- 

 sparrows and some redbreasts are obser\ed. 

 Immigration increases in volume in October, when 

 in addition to the species mentioned, blackbirds, 

 thrushes, grey crows, chaffinches, greenfinches, 

 goldcrests and, occasionally, woodcocks are 

 observed. The movements continue until the 

 middle of November, when they too, during 

 ordinary seasons, cease to be observed. They are 

 renewed again, however, on the part of larks, 

 starlings, thrushes and lapwings on the advent of 

 great cold, when the birds chiefly pass westwards 

 along the south coast 0/ England. 



'• During immigration our shores are reached 

 during the late night or early morning on the part of 

 migrants from the north. On the contrary, the 

 immigratory movements from the east, across the 

 narrows of the North Sea, appear to be performed 

 during the daytime. 



{To bi coitliniicd. 



M 4 



