176 peesident's addbess. 



flown at constantly lengthening distances until it is competent, 

 by the knowledge or experience so gained, to find its way homo 

 from the point at first determined on. Now, Homing Pigeons 

 are probably at least as highly endowed with the necessary 

 qualities of sight and memory of locality as the ordinary migrating 

 birds. This rather seems to indicate that instinct is in some way 

 the agent in these wonderful phenomena of bird life. Then as 

 to the causes of migration. Mr. Seebohm says it is '■'■want of 

 food not want of wa/rmth,'''' but on the next page he narrates what 

 he observed in Greece, which goes directly to negative this! 

 There, in certain localities, insect life appeared to be superabund- 

 ant, and some species of insect-eating birds remain and feed there 

 all the year round ; others stay during certain months, and on 

 their leaving others come. How is this to be explained ? Again, 

 amongst the immigrants which come to this country in the 

 autumn are many of species well known to us, and which live 

 with us all the year round. "What is the reason why some indi- 

 viduals stay here altogether, and some only come from foreign 

 countries for a few months and return thither ? Or do any of 

 our home-breeders or their descendants join the foreigners when 

 they leave us ? In Argyleshire, where I live during part of the 

 year, a considerable number of Woodcocks breed. "VYe see them 

 during the breeding season, and their nests are found and the 

 young ones seen from time to time, but during the autumn we 

 see very few indeed ; and after a good many years' observation, 

 and after having often talked it over with Mr. Hancock during 

 his visits to us there, I am satisfied that these young birds don't 

 all remain in the immediate neighbourhood where they are bred, 

 but that some of them undertake a migration to Ireland or else- 

 where ; but what can be the reason for this I don't know. In 

 making these remarks on this subject I have mainly had it in 

 mind to show how much in even this one branch of IS'atural 

 History there is yet to be done. A Committee was appointed 

 at the Swansea meeting of the British Association to obtain ob- 

 servations on this subject at lighthouses and lightships, and they 

 presented a very interesting report at the York meeting last 

 September; it included reports from one hundred and three 



