BRITISH BIRDS. 79 



or difficulty in a bird migrating. Sometimes there may be; but this is 

 exceptional— perhaps when caught by a storm, exactly as a vessel may be ; 

 but in general they come pleasantly along. The Cuckoo has been seen at 

 Brio-hton singing over the sea as she reaches the land. 



" She is a fine bird^ 



She sings as she flies ; 

 She brings us good tidings^ 

 She tells us no lies." 



In crossing over from the Continent to this country, Swallows when 

 reaching the land do not stop to rest; though Mr. W. H. Hudson 

 (P. Z.S. 1871, p. 327;, on the birds of Buenos Ayres, says :— " In April 

 1869, several clays after all the Swallows of our five species had totally dis- 

 appeared, flights of Hinmdo leucorrhoa began again to arrive, passing north. 

 Many of them appeared quite tired with their journey, rising reluctantly. 

 Probably the migration of this species extends very far south." 



Mr. R. O. Cunningham (in the ' Straits of Magellan,' p. 26), on the 

 voyage to Rio, fell in with Swallows " which revived temporarily on being 

 fed with flies, but died in a few hours." 



Wafftails go straight across the land from the sea. The Willow- Wren 

 may be observed in April, just arrived, sitting on a bit of seaweed sine/kg with 

 joy. I find this note:— "23rd April, 1859, 20 minutes past fire o'clock in 

 the morning, opposite Brunswick Square, Brighton. Observed a Willow- 

 Wren just come; he went straight from the sea. Nearer to Shoreham 

 harbour I found another." 



Again, a veteran lark-catcher says :— " One morning in April I went 

 shrimping by Shoreham harbour. I was standing in the sea ; and on turning 

 up the net, I could hardly find the shrimps, because the hght was just coming 

 on. A Willow-Wren (query, that or a Chiff-chaff ?) perched upon the handle. 

 I tried to catch it with my hand,but it flew away. The sun had not risen ; it was 

 very cold." Titlarks come, perhaps, in a fog ; they " keep the touch " by their 

 voices. This is still more observable in flocks of birds arriving at night over 



