1332 Birds. 



Notes on the partial migration and local shiftings of certain Birds 

 in East Lothian, and a few Remarks on the subject in general, as 

 applied to Scotland and the North of England. By Archibald 

 Hepburn, Esq. 



If any one was inclined to doubt the propriety of our worthy 

 editor's remarks on e Partial Migration' (Zool. 983), or to cavil at the 

 approbation with which he quoted a passage from the writings of the 

 intelligent Bewick, bearing upon the same subject, surely he ought to 

 cast away all such misgiving after attentively perusing the excellent 

 papers by MM. Duval-Jouve and Deby, on the birds of their re- 

 spective countries. No one, I think, possessed of similar tastes with 

 these two authors, can fail to express his surprise at the novelty of 

 the facts adduced, and his delight at the fine field for research which 

 is therein opened up to view. Leaving the further elucidation of con- 

 tinental Ornithology to these two naturalists, and trusting they will ere 

 long receive the efficient aid of many able coadjutors amongst their 

 respective countrymen, let each turn his thoughts homewards and with 

 renewed earnestness of purpose, giving the most careful attention to 

 the habits and distribution of the birds which occur in his daily walks, 

 and strive to make good his right to those honorable titles which the 

 short-sighted enemies of this method of study have heaped upon us by 

 way of reproach. Thus only can we hope to amass a body of indes- 

 tructible facts, prepared for the philosophic mind, from which it can 

 draw correct conclusions, and thence rise to general laws. And let 

 those who despise such labours give heed to this extract from the 

 works of the immortal Cuvier. " The most simple observation may 

 overthrow the most ingeniously constructed system, and open our 

 eyes to a long train of discoveries, which had been previously con- 

 cealed from view by received formulae." 



The following notes have been arranged in the hope that they may 

 prove useful and interesting, and I trust that they form only one of a 

 series of papers on this interesting subject from the pens of other and 

 more able observers, that will shortly appear in the pages of this 

 magazine. 



Common Buzzard, Buteo vulgaris. Is by no means a very com- 

 mon bird throughout the year, but there is an annual influx of the 

 species in September and October, but especially in the latter 

 month. 



Merlin, Falco Msalon. I have been long of opinion that there is a 





