EFFECT OF WINDS ON THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS. 25 



same course. How long this had been going on it is impos- 

 sible to say, but probably from early in the morning, as the 

 wind had been high, and there is every reason to suppose that 

 they continued passing far into the night. The wind was 

 north-north-west. The next day it was still in the same 

 quarter, but there were no Gulls — for the time they had 

 all passed.* 



The following day, October 28th, the wind shifted to west- 

 north-west and blew hard, and Mr. Cordeaux registered a 

 great flight of Woodcocks. Fresh relays of Gulls had come 

 up and were all going west as before. Probably from 2,000 

 to 3,000 passed on that day, and pretty nearly 5,000 on the 

 26th. It is a speculation in my mind whether those on the 

 28th were the same individuals which passed on the 26th 

 or others. The former theory may be accepted on the sup- 

 position that they had occupied the 27th in making the 

 return journey, which would have been in an easterly direc- 

 tion, far out to sea ; but in that case they must have gone 

 with the wind, which it is quite certain they do not like to 

 do. On the other hand, if they were fresh individuals they 

 had probably come from the shores of Essex and Kent, or 

 from Belgium, and the hundred miles of sea between Eng- 

 land and Belgium would furnish its contingent to the army. 



Besides the occasional appearance of Gulls in these great 

 numbers, as in the two instances which have just been related, 

 there may be seen almost every day throughout October and 

 November at Cromer, single Gulls and Gulls in twos and 

 threes, and if the wind be west, so invariably is the direction 

 of their flight the same — that is, against it. As a rule they 

 fly high in fine weather and low in bad weather, but be it high 

 or low they always go towards Blakeney, which is a small 

 town and harbour further west. 



To show how prevalent westerly winds are on the east 

 coast of England, it is only necessary to refer to the meteoro- 

 logical table annually contributed to the " Transactions of 



* Some account of this " migration,' 1 and other notes on the same subject, 

 will be found ia the " Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Soc. Trans.," iv., p. .'32G, and 

 in the appendix to W. Rye's "History of Cromer." 



