296 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



egg has ever been laid. In 1865, Augustus Smith attempted to 

 introduce them, but the birds all flew off to the mainland, leaving 

 only some half-built nests behind. In the early nineties a com- 

 pact flock about eight hundred strong was seen by David Smith 

 coming in from the east. It flew round the island of Tresco, 

 then went out to sea in a north-westerly direction. On the same 

 date a homeward-bound vessel making for Bristol was literally 

 boarded by a similar flock. 



The Sky-Lark breeds in small numbers. In the spring of 

 1903 nests were found on St. Mary's, Great Ganilly, St. Martin's, 

 St. Helen's, Tresco, Bryher, and Samson. During the period of 

 autumn migration, and occasionally in winter during the preval- 

 ence of hard frosts on the mainland, it arrives in large flocks, 

 and sometimes in immense numbers. Not infrequently, in 

 October and early November, flocks pass over the islands in a 

 westerly or north-westerly direction without landing at all, and 

 on two occasions large scattered flights have been observed 

 coming in from the east, and, after some indecision, continuing 

 their journey in a north-westerly direction. The flocks that 

 land usually resume their passage in the course of a day, but a 

 large number continue on the islands throughout the winter. In 

 the second week in October, 1903, the arrival of an almost con- 

 tinuous stream of Larks and Starlings, in flocks of a dozen to 

 fifty or a hundred, was observed through the whole of two days 

 and part of a third. The Larks flew with a steady, easy flight, 

 and showed no sign of exhaustion, but hesitated every now and 

 then, as if uncertain whether they should settle or continue their 

 journey. The flocks would come in rapid succession for several 

 hours at a stretch, frequently only a few hundred yards apart, 

 and rarely with an intervening interval of more than two or 

 three minutes. Then would come a lull, and for half an hour or 

 more they would arrive at irregular intervals of three to ten 

 minutes, after which the rush would be again resumed. From 

 twelve to three on the second day the flocks must have averaged 

 about a hundred, and followed each other so closely that in the 

 distance they looked like a dusky band rising out of the sea. 

 The birds apparently came in by night as well as day, and left 

 during the night or in the early morning. On the fourth day 

 several hundred Larks were still about, but were evidently 



