160 BIRD LIFE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 



silently steal away, from their arrival which was 

 heralded by the music of their voices on every side. 



Migration chiefly occurs at night, and, even upon 

 the south or east coast, we may be unaware of what 

 is taking place, unless we notice the large flights of 

 swifts all pointing southward, an unusual number 

 of turtle-doves on the oat-stubble near the edge of the 

 cliff, or find cuckoos and nightjars sheltering amongst 

 the marram-grass and stunted tamarisks above the 

 foreshore, where they certainly would not be met with 

 under ordinary circumstances. They are waiting for 

 a favourable opportunity to make the passage of the 

 Channel. The Common Sandpiper leaves the hill 

 pools and mountain tarns to spend the remainder 

 of its stay beside the lowland brooks. The Curlew 

 deserts the high sheep-walks for the coast ; and the 

 Grey Wagtail abandons the burns and trout streams, 

 where it has spent the summer in flitting from stone 

 to stone amongst the eddies and ripples, to reappear 

 at the same runnel of water by the roadside where, 

 winter after winter, we never fail to note it. 



In the case of a few birds the breeding season, which 

 practically closed in July, is prolonged until mid- 

 August, but, as a rule, only by isolated pairs whose 

 domestic arrangements have been thrown out of gear 

 by mishaps earlier in the season. There is nothing 

 unusual in finding a nest of young greenfinches or 

 yellow-hammers when the month has half run its 



