19 



of the vast hosts he alludes to, ever reach the latter country ; 

 and even such as- may do so, turn to the south soon after their 

 arrival on the east coast. But in any case a westerly flight of 

 some 600 miles is only a moderate fraction of the distance 

 between central England and the valley of the Yenesay. 



With regard to the ultimate distinction of these hordes, it 

 seems to the writer, after considering all the evidence bearing on 

 the subject, that soon after passing Heligoland the great majority 

 turn towards the south or south-west, some passing inland into 

 Germany, and the remainder wintering in Holland, Belgium and 

 France, or, perhaps, still further south — as examples have been 

 met. with in Spain. 



That any large proportion of these millions reach the east 

 coast of Great Britain —which is the case, according to Herr 

 Gatke — there is no evidence to prove. What would he the effect 

 in Bast Anglica of an incursion of a voracious species like the 

 present, in numbers approaching those observed at Heligoland ? 

 They could hardly fail to create a sensation, even if they were 

 distributed over the whole littoral between the Humber and 

 Thames. Certainly the species is observed in the late autumn 

 in considerable numbers in our eastern counties ; but there are 

 no records referring its appearance in even tens of thousands. 

 It is simply impossible that such huge numbers could escape 

 observation. Neither do Hooded Crows on reaching the coast 

 line pass very far inland to the extent Herr Gatke imagines. 

 The following remarks of his, quoted from p. 26, are based on 

 mere assumption. He writes : — " Now the Eastern and Mid- 

 land counties of England cannot by any possible means afford 

 sufficient room for furnishing winter quarters to the millions of 

 Hooded Crows, which every autumn pass this island across the 

 North Sea; and since, according to Eodd and Thompson, they do 

 not reach either the West of England or Ireland, ... it 

 follows that they must very soon after reaching England pass 

 across the channel to France." On p. 25 he further writes : — 

 "The Hooded Crow does not get to the Western parts of Eng- 

 land, but turns to the South as soon as it reaches the central 

 portions of that country." These statements are rather contra- 

 dictory, too, after having previously quoted Mr. Cordeaux's 



