212 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



THE DIURNAL MIGRATIONS OF CERTAIN BIRDS 

 OBSERVED AT THE TUSKAR ROCK. 



By Professor C. J. Patten, M.A., M.D., Sc.D. 



(Concluded from p. 195.) 



Direction of Flight. 



Coming now to consider the direction of flight, I have already 

 incidentally mentioned that it differed from that observed by 

 Mr. Eagle Clarke at the Eddystone Lighthouse during the 

 autumn migration of 1901. Here again I do not propose going 

 into details, as I shall have occasion in separate papers to refer 

 to the movements of individual species of diurnal migrants. 

 Suffice it to say that, in September and during the first week in 

 October, 1911, the direction of flight of Pipits, Wagtails, and 

 Swallows seen at Tuskar Light-Station was, with very few excep- 

 tions, landwards, and lay between west and north. Indeed, north- 

 west was the most usual course. In regard to Swallows, these 

 observations are in accordance with those made during the same 

 autumn by Mr. Delap at Rosslare Harbour, six and a half miles 

 north-west of Tuskar Light-Station.* Mr. Witherby, on the 

 other hand, found that the direction of flight of Swallows was in 

 this locality mainly southward. In his case observations were 

 made chiefly a few miles north, but also on a few occasions 

 south, of Rosslare Harbour. Swallows were, however, observed 

 by Mr. Witherby going north on September 13th, 14th, 17th, 

 and until 10 a.m. on the 18th ; after that hour and until 3 p.m. 

 they passed southward. From September 18th to October 13th 

 the flight in the case of all observations recorded was south- 

 ward. On September 11th the same ornithologist also observed 

 Swallows flying southward. 



Last autumn the direction of flight, not only of Swallows, 

 but also of Pipits and Wagtails, at the Tuskar Light- Station 



;: Mr. Delap, moreover, made similar observations during many previous 

 years. Vide ' Irish Naturalist,' vol. xxi., April, 1912, pp. 65-71. 



