330 



SCIEXCE-GOSSIP. 



•■spring Immigratum. — ^The first biid-harbiiigers 

 of spring are recorded for F^maiy, when dnricg 

 genial periods such partial migrants within the 

 British area as the pied wagi^ and lapwir.^ 

 return to the Orkneys and other northern stations 

 where these species are sununer birds. Certair. 

 rock-breeding sea-fowl are also noted as \'isitcr5 

 to their nesting-haunts. There is, in additicn. 

 indication of a return movement during mill 

 weather on the part of fieldfares, redwings, 

 thrushes, blackbirds, etc., which had fled tiie 

 country through the winter cold. During February 

 certain summer visitors have occasionally put in 

 a phenomenally early appearance. In 1883 and 

 1887 the wheatear was seen ; in 1887 a ring ousel 

 was shot at one of the light-stations ; and in 1886 

 (on the 24th) a solitary swallow was observed at 

 the Eddystone. Daring the genial periods usually 

 experienced in the changeable month of March 

 there is a considerable immigration or return of 

 the birds which quitted our islands throi:eh the 

 pressure of the severe weather c;-i:-.i:~5 ;:' 

 winter, and also of some partial migrants :r.:.j:i:r.i 

 many goldcrests and pied wagtails. Ir. — :s; 

 years the advent of a few sununer visittrs is 

 recorded. The ring ousel, wheatear hirtr.a: 

 willow wren, chifFcha ff , swallow, sar.i — s.r;:r. 

 cuckoo (^). land rail, garganey, whimbrei and Sand- 

 wich tern are recorded for the month, some of 

 them once only, and others rarely. April is a 

 month of pronounced immigration on the part of 

 the summer visitors, for no less than thirty-seven 

 species are recorded in the chronicles. It thus 

 witnesses the arrival of certainly the majority 

 of species among the spring migrants, though, 

 perhaps, not of individuals. . . . 



" In connection with the arrival of these earliest 

 immigrants among our summer visitors during 

 March or April, a remarkable and interesting fact 

 remains to be mentioned, namely, that the great 

 majority of these birds are recorded first for the 

 south-western area of the British r^on — the 

 south-west coast of England and Ireland. Thus, 

 in March, out of ninety-four observations, seventy- 

 one, or seventy-five per cent., were made in the 

 sonth-west. In April, out of 157 first records of 

 the arrivals of summer visitors, no less than 115, 

 or nearly seventy-four per cent., are chronid^ 

 for the south-west coast and Ireland. These 

 nimibers and percentages, however, should be 

 considerably higher and more remarkable, for it must 

 be explained that during the years 1880 and 1881 

 there were no spring data for Ireland, and in 1883 

 there was no return made for the west coast of 

 England, while the east coast has been credited, 

 in the statistics quoted, with the observations 

 made during all the years of the inquiry. It thus 

 seem; rr^bable that the first arrival of the spring 

 — igrants r.:t un n aturally occurs on those parts 

 ;: :ur is'es hich are the warmest so early in the 

 sea.s:n During Maj the immigration of summer 

 biris s:;.' £: vs ir.:: our islands. Several species 

 rriiir .i-.tir rrs: artearance, and a number of 

 : i.ers ire —: re iiurzartly recorded than hitherto. 

 There 3.re =is: ; rsiieribie arrivals of wheatears. 

 varciers s • iii: e iri ;s.ri-ipers and plovers of 

 varitus s~e:ies. :r :ur s:u rem coast quite down 

 t: the eri ;:' tire — .;r:r s:r-e ;:' ; heir movements 

 teirr ■ er- — arhei Thesr are rrirabtedly birds 

 c: r5.ss3.ie tr t.reir •..= ■ t: r:r:rerr summer 

 h3.t;r:s he ;ri the iintits :i the hr::si: Isles, for 

 ctr : r tiris :: hre sa.rre sreties are then busily 

 errajea ir ir:r;ah:r. ;r :err:ri their young. 



D_rir.; the hrs: haif ::' J tme several species whose 



hreeair.i rarae erteris to the Polar regions 

 at rear ir ::rs:iera ie ru~.hers on oar shores on 

 hrer a : : the :ar r.r.r a few appear even still 

 iater. 7r.e chief among these late birds of passage 

 are the grey plover and the knot, and less 

 rr — erttsiy or less frequently the snow-btmting, 

 hiie.r barnacle goose, 'grey geese,' swans, the 

 a::terei, turnstone, sanderling, nifi', bar- tailed 

 e;n it, v.hknbrel, and a few great northern 





to b; 



<^av- 



a~:ri- the snrrnter •.isitors to our islands are 

 British-breeairi biras This is borne our by the 

 fact, weli-hnfvn :; aii h eld-naturalists, that our 

 stmrmer biras an near in their breeding haunts in our 

 islands immiiuu^j after their first appearance on 

 our coasts in the spring. Additioiial proof is 

 furnished by the fact that summer birds arrive 

 in hritain a: eariier fates thar in Heligoland, 

 •.vhere neariy aii tnr sreties hrser'ted are en route 

 f:r m;re ntrhnerr iaras than turs The further 

 fact aireaf"-- mentitnea tirat iiv.n to the end of 



sammer visitants t; hritain arrive :n ana pass 

 along our -;as: as biras :f nassaee nr; es that 

 the migrants btuna f:r the n:r:n ajre tne .ast :: 

 their kind t: anne 

 ' ' Sprins Zri; ■'.: -I j: 

 the iBritish Isles to coniinenta' 

 the part of certain species early 

 before the vrlitter emigratcry 

 ceased to take place. Thus in 

 seasons. ' ?e&se ' are recorded as 

 in considerable numbers. . . 



-T: 



irea. 



migration from 

 :r:ne sets in on 

 he year, indeed 

 ttements have 

 truary, in some 

 mi' n;rthv,-ards 

 Turin; March 

 these south-easterly movements bectme more 

 pronouncea, ana hue emigrants include the hooded 

 crow, rock ana sh-.iark. Emigration for the north 

 also commences, ann the ttilcvin; v.unter visitors 

 are recorded as leavin? ;ur isianas auriu; the 

 month: great grey shrike, snore iSJ'it, sv.ans, 'wild 

 ge^>e,' gadvrall, scaup, golden-eye, long-tailed duck, 

 red- throated diver, and probably many others^ In 

 March, :::. lertain snecies (greenfinch, chaffinch, 

 twite ".■.hith recuiari-.- seek the islands off the 

 west coast cf Ireiana as vrinter retreats are 

 mentioned as tai-vini their departure for the 

 The mil a snells cf April induce a 

 e amiun: ;f emigration for their 

 tmmer haunts en the part of no less 

 fhfl- .hir. -f:ur sceties . . . May is a month 

 of mu :h emi i rati : n ; n the part both of birds which 

 have v.-intered in our islands, and of birds of 

 passage (including many individuals of species 

 which are summer visitors to Britain). In all, no 

 less than fifty-three species of r^ular emigrants 

 are recorded in the May returns, showing that the 

 movements to the northern breeding-grounds reach 

 their ma-riTTiTiTn during this month, and often take 

 the form of ' rashes ' after the birds have been held 

 back by spells of ungenial weather. The north- 

 ward movements from our shores of a few species 

 whose breeding range Ues within the Polar regions 

 are also observed down to the middle of June, or 

 even beyond that date, and have already been 

 noticed. The departure for their northern summer 



(1) The fact that these birds, or most of them, should arrive 

 on OUT shores as birds of passage thus late in the migratory 

 season lends some conntenance to the theory that the birds 

 of certain species going farthest north in summer go the 

 farthest sondi for winter quarters. 



summe 

 consiae 

 north e: 



