40 



journey. It is difficult to see what evidence there is to show, 

 however, that these droves consist in part of birds which, like 

 the Brambling, after arriving on the east coast, have traversed 

 the latter country in a westerly direction. The flight of these 

 flocks, according to the evidence afforded by the observations of 

 light-keepers and others, either still maintains its south-westerly 

 course, or follows the eastern coast line into England. 



With regard to the Brambling. The movements of this 

 species from Northern Scandinavia are said to first conduct them 

 to the southern parts of Sweden. Possibly this is correct, but 

 that they then turn directly west is very doubtful. It wiU be 

 evident if they merely follow the general trend of the land "their 

 course must necessarily be to the south-west, and if again they 

 leave the coast of Norway at its most westerly extension, this 

 same direction of flight need merely be still maintained to 

 eventually land the travellers on the mainland of Scotland, and 

 not on the Orkneys and Shetlands. 



Herr Gatke, however, has quite overlooked the presence of 

 many migratory species in the Faroe Isles, and still far greater 

 numbers in Iceland. It is absurd to suppose that birds from 

 either of these localities migrate in autumn to the west. It 

 ' therefore naturally follows that the hordes of water-fowl and 

 shore-birds observed on the west of Scotland must in great 

 measure be derived from these northern islands, and not from 

 districts in the north-east of Europe, as he supposes. When, 

 however (p. 31), he is driven, in support of his theory of an east- 

 to-west line of flight, to allude to the fact of the Gannet having 

 been observed passing in a westward direction for six or eight 

 days together at Cape Wrath, its weakness will be apparent; 

 for it is well known that no breeding places of this species exist 

 to the east of Scotland, the movements in question being merely 

 due to wanderings in search of food. 



It is on evidence of this nature, and in conjunction with his 

 own Heligoland notes, which have already been discussed, that 

 he bases the assertion that " the flight of these migrants has 

 thus been followed from Eastern Asia to the Atlantic shores of 

 Europe. In the case of the most different species, and in dis- 

 tricts so widely separated as Central Germany, Heligoland, the 



