FAIR ISLE, THE BRITISH HELIGOLAND 49 



surroundings. However, in time one becomes more or 

 less familiar with most species, and readily detects a 

 stranger — but only as a stranger, until it has been 

 brought to hand : one must shoot in such cases ; if not, 

 the identity of some of the visitors would remain a 

 mystery. Those who have not engaged in this kind 

 of bird-work have little idea how puzzling it is to 

 identify common species under such very unusual 

 conditions. Indeed, quite familiar species are not 

 immediately recognised, unless they possess some very 

 marked diagnostic character. The immigrants, too, 

 are, with few exceptions, such as the Thrushes, remark- 

 ably silent. During the spring movements, however, 

 I have on several occasions heard some of the 

 travelling birds (the Willow- Warbler, Whinchat, and 

 Ring-Ouzel) indulge in a few notes of a very subdued 

 song — one or two birds only out of thousands. 



The great cliffs, more particularly the western range, 

 are, alas, also a great resort' of the smaller bird-travellers, 

 and of such rock-loving species as the Ring-Ouzel. The 

 reflected heat of the sun renders these haunts particularly 

 genial, and their faces, abundantly clad with lichens, are 

 alive with insects on fine days. Here the insectivorous 

 species swarm after a great arrival of migrants. Red- 

 starts, Flycatchers, Warblers, Goldcrests, Tree- Pipits, 

 Hedge- Accentors, and Redbreasts being much in evidence. 

 The most remarkable visitor to the face of these cliffs is 

 the Woodcock. In autumn not a few of these birds may 

 be seen, where there are grassy ledges, resting in their 

 usual posture, with their tails up and their bills down. 

 I said "alas ! " the reason for my lament being that these 

 fastnesses are not only vast, but are almost entirely 

 unapproachable, and hence all but impossible for observa- 



II. D 



