1 04 Smnvicr Studies of Birds and Books chap. 



field a visit there was only a pair or two to be seen, 

 and I have no doubt that this great gathering meant 

 migration. We have abundant evidence that the 

 Pied Wagtail passes over to the Continent in great 

 numbers in the autumn, though there are always 

 enough left behind to let us feel that they are still 

 with us. Some years ago an old friend of mine, a 

 master at Westward Ho College in ISTorth Devon, 

 wrote to me just at the end of September describing 

 a strange immigration of Pied Wagtails which had 

 occurred there a day or two before. It was a warm 

 evening, and the windows of the large school 

 building, which fronts the sea, were open, and the 

 lights within were of course visible out at sea. 

 Suddenly the rooms were invaded by a host of Pied 

 Wagtails, which swarmed in, circling round and 

 round the ceiling like bats, and so distracted that 

 they could be caught with butterfly nets. These 

 were probably the Welsh Wagtails, making their 

 autumnal journey to the south coast of England on 

 their way to the Continent ; and on this same coast 

 of North Devon parties may be seen in the autumn 

 making progress towards the west, to cross the 

 county to the southern coast, where they seem to 

 congregate for further travel. 



We can trace this travel, and find that it is now 

 directed towards the east. On the coast of Dorset I 

 have seen them gathered in vast numbers in late 



