BIRDS AND LIGHTHOUSES 259 



dressing myself, I at once made for the lighthouse. 

 The night was almost pitch dark, but the town was 

 all astir. In every street men, with long lanterns, 

 and a sort of angler's landing-net, were making for 

 the lighthouse. Arrived there, an intensely inter- 

 esting sight presented itself. 



" The whole of the zone of light, within range of 

 the mirrors, was alive with birds coming and going. 

 Nothing else was visible in the darkness of the 

 night but the lantern of the lighthouse vignetted in 

 a drifting sea of birds. From the darkness in the 

 east clouds of birds were continually emerging in 

 an uninterrupted stream ; a few swerved from their 

 course, fluttered for a moment as if dazzled by the 

 light, and then gradually vanished with the rest 

 in the western gloom. Occasionally a bird wheeled 

 round the lighthouse, and then passed on ; and 

 occasionally one fluttered against the glass, like a 

 moth against a lamp, tried to perch on the wire- 

 netting, and was caught by the lighthouse man. 



I should be afraid to hazard a guess as to the 

 hundreds of thousands that must have passed in a 

 couple of hours ; but the stray birds, which the 

 lighthouse men succeeded in securing, amounted to 

 nearly three hundred. The scene from the balcony 

 of the lighthouse was equally interesting ; in every 

 direction birds were flying like a swarm of bees, 

 and every few seconds one flew against the glass. 

 All the birds seemed to be flying up wind, and it 

 was only on the lee side that any were caught ; 

 they were nearly all Skylarks. In the heap captured 

 was one Redstart and one Reed Bunting. The air 



