The words, "sooner or later," referring to a southward turn, 

 in the above paragraph, are very indefinite. This is unfortunate, 

 as it is plain, what a vast difference this turn must make in the 

 numbers of birds which would pass Heligoland, if it takes place 

 before the various flights reach the latter locality. To the 

 writer, Herr Gatke seems to infer in other places that the 

 majority do not travel southwards until they have crossed over 

 the North Sea to the coasts of Great Britain ; though there may 

 be a few exceptions to this rule. 



Now there can be no reason for doubting that a vast number 

 of birds during their flight past Heligoland in the autumn, are 

 actually seen travelling in the direction pointed out by Herr 

 Gabke, and that their flight between these points can also be 

 traced over a limited distance both east and west of the island. 

 But a flight which has only been proved to trend in an east and 

 west direction over such a comparatively small proportion o 

 the whole journey, can hardly be held to be sufiSeient evidence 

 that its original direction, from its commencement to its arrival 

 at the latter locality, has been so rigidly or even approximately 

 maintained as Herr Gatke endeavours to prove. As to the 

 extreme view expressed above, that certain species perform a 

 flight which is maintained in this direction from countries 

 bordering on the Amoor to the west of Spain, there is to the 

 writer, only the migrations of one species, viz., Richard's Pipit, 

 that can be pointed to in support of such a theory, and the far 

 eastern origin of the individuals which reach Heligoland, will be 

 found, later on, to be open to doubt. 



We are not expressly told what are the species which adopt 

 this east to west line of flight, though they are said to amount 

 to many hundreds. It is, however, possible to gather that 

 amongst the most important are the following : — Buzzards, 

 Starlings, Hooded Crows, Books, Jackdaws, Larks, Swifts, 

 Plovers, Curlews and Geese. These species are mentioned on 

 p. 25, and Godwits, Oystercatchers, Greenshanks, Sandpipers 

 and Thrushes are enumerated in addition on p. 30. This list, 

 however, leaves the remainder of the " many hundreds " men- 

 tioned on p. 33 to our imagination. It may be here pointed out 

 that the majority of the smaller species, such as the Bluethroat 



