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BIEDS TEAVELLING NOBTH IN OCTOBER. 

 By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S. 



On October 7th, with a gentle wind from the north, from 

 earliest dawn continual flocks of Lapwings, Starlings, Herring- 

 Gulls and, I believe, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, accompanied 

 by Eedwings, Sky-Larks, Chaffinches, and Eooks, singly or in 

 small parties, and a few detachments of Black-headed Gulls and 

 Wild Ducks, and two skeins of Geese were seen by Mr. Henry 

 Cole and the writer, and others as well, passing over the adjacent 

 parishes of Overstrand, Northrepps, and Cromer, which are all 

 on the coast. Estimates of numbers are proverbially untrust- 

 worthy, but undoubtedly a great mass of birds went by altogether. 



The birds were high overhead, and for some hours every 

 flock was proceeding due north, but after 11 a.m. they inclined 

 to north north-west, and their numbers slackened, and by 

 1 o'clock the migration was practically over. 



I have seen similar northward passages of birds on a much 

 smaller scale near the coast before in October, and believe it to 

 be almost an annual movement, and the same has been remarked 

 by Mr. B. B. Eiviere {see ' Norwich Naturalists' Transactions,' 

 1913-14, p. 772), and at Lowestoft by Mr. C. B. Ticehurst. 



At this time of the year north or north-west is not quite the 

 direction in which one expects birds to travel, but the movement 

 is probably attributable to wind which, when even quite of 

 moderate strength (force 2 or 3), may be seen to exercise a 

 great influence over birds on the East Coast, and against which 

 they may be usually observed to fly. On this point see Hele's 

 ' Notes about Aldeburgh,' p. 122, and ' The Field' of November 

 6th, 1875, and October 14th, 1876, where the experience of the 

 writer confirms this observation. 



On the present occasion, on the morning that they were seen 

 at Cromer, the same flocks or similar ones were reported at 



