Ixvi LINES OF MIGRATION. 



1891. It does not appear at Exmouth till long after it has 

 arrived in Exeter. Yet House-Martins sometimes occur very 

 early in the extreme southern part of Devonshire. 



Our migrants do not all arrive simultaneously^ but in waves at 

 intervals extending over many weeks^ sometimes coming in great 

 " rushes/' and they leave us in autumn in the same manner. 



In 1887 it was recorded that the first Wheatears were seen at 

 the " Chickens " (Isle of Man) on February 17, and large numbers 

 were passing the Eddy stone as late as May 30. Swallows and 

 Swifts were still passing the Eddystone on June 6, and many 

 Swifts on June 24. The autumnal departure began very early, 

 for Swifts and numbers of Swallows were passing to the south 

 on August 19 at the Eddystone, the wind being north by east. 



Last year (1891) there were swarms of Whitethroats, Willow- 

 Warblers, and Spotted Flycatchers about us at Exmouth on the 

 16th and 17th August, but they all disappeared before the 20th, 

 on which day a heavy gale from the south, south-west, and east 

 reached us. 



No immigration or emigration takes place in stormy (cyclonic) 

 weather, but birds seem to leave at the last moment just before 

 a gale comes on. There were great numbers of Swallows and 

 House-Martins cono^regatin"; close to the sea-shore at Exmouth 

 on 10th October, 1891, and they got off during the night apparently, 

 as a storm began from the S.E. the following morning, and although 

 we continued to see both Swallows and Martins up to the first 

 week in November, these were not in such numbers as before the 

 storm. 



Small birds depart from our south coast when the wind is east, 

 north-east, or south-east. 



The southern coast of the county forms a rendezvous for many 

 birds before their departure for the south, and for a few days 

 previous to taking flight across the sea great numbers of Wag- 

 tails (Pied, Grey, and Yellow), Swallows, House-Martins, and 

 Land- Rails, and, in a lesser degree, Willow- Warblers and some 

 other summer birds, congregate on the south coast in the autumn. 

 Swifts are seen travelling steadily in a south-westerly direction 

 from Exmouth and other sea-coast localities. 



When birds are met with far out at sea they are generally sup- 

 posed to have been driven out of their course by storms. We, 



