26 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



had apparently struck the wire in its flight, and the wire penetrating the 

 frontal bone to the orbits, forcing out one eye and crushing the other. The 

 broken frontal bone had served as a hook over the wire, and the bird was 

 firmly suspended by its head. — Wm. Farren. 



Proportion of Adult and Immature Birds amongst Accidental 

 Visitors to the British Isles.— It has been frequently stated that much 

 the largest proportion of rare and accidental wanderers on migration to the 

 British Islands are birds of the year. Mr. Charles Dixon, in his recently 

 published work on ' The Migration of Birds,' is the latest writer who has 

 adopted this statement. He says (pp. 178-9): "The young birds are the 

 greatest blunderers, — the birds that have practically no knowledge whatever 

 of the road, and have to depend entirely on the guidance of older birds. 

 That this is the case is abundantly proved by the fact that nearly all the 

 birds that accidentally wander to the British Islands, from more or less 

 remote countries, are birds of the year." I entirely dissent from Mr. 

 Dixon's conclusion as to the incapacity of young birds in finding their route 

 without guidance; but this is not now the question. Is it, or is it not, a 

 fact that the large majority of accidental visitors are young birds? I am 

 not aware that any English ornithologist has taken the trouble to collect 

 statistics as to the proportion of adult and young. I question very much, 

 however, whether these lost and gone-astray migrants do not bear much the 

 same proportion as the common host of immigrants in the autumn, which 

 is two adult to three young. From my own experience on the east coast, 

 I should rather be inclined to regard adult and young as nearly equal 

 amongst the rare and accidental occurrences from all lands. I have now 

 before me a list, kindly prepared for me by Mr. Gatke, showing the 

 proportions in Heligoland amongst the rare and exceptional visitors 

 captured there during the last half-century. Of 133 exceptional occur- 

 rences, representing 20 species, whose home is Greece, Palestine, Southern 

 Russia, Asia Minor, and Turkestan, with few exceptions, obtained from 

 middle of May to end of July, J 22 are adult and 11 young. Of species 

 from as far as East Kamtschatka, arriving as a rule during September to end 

 of November (buntings and thrushes), 34 are old and 13 young. Of American 

 birds, 5 are old and 2 young. Of Otocorys alpestris, now a common 

 autumn migrant, about two-thirds are old ; of Anthus richardi and 

 Phylloscopus super ciliosus, about half are old. From this it will appear 

 that the proportion of adults which go astray and reach Heligoland is very 

 considerably in excess of the young. The list is instructive, as showing 

 the number of individuals of each species, adults or young, and I 

 therefore append it : — 



11 A. Birds from Greece, Asia Miuor, Palestine, Southern Russia, 



