60 REPORT ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



east coasts, causing cross-currents over the North sea. What- 

 ever then was the impulse, atmospheric or otherwise, which 

 induced such an immense rush of various birds at this time, it 

 was one which acted ahke, and with precisely the same impulse, 

 on the Sea Eagle and tiny Goldcrest. 



The second great rush was on the 12th and 13th of October, 

 a similar movement being recorded at Heligoland. Then again 

 from the 27th to the 31st, and somewhat less through the first 

 week in November, the passage across Heligoland, as well as the 

 rush on our east coast, was enormous. Speaking of the nights 

 from the 27th to 31st inclusive, Mr. Giitke says, " This was the 

 first move by the million ; for four nights there has been a 

 gigantic feathery tide running." During this time there were 

 variable winds over the North Sea, but generally easterly and 

 south-easterly on the Continent ; but strong west winds and 

 squalls prevailing generally on the 5th and 6th of November. 

 With the outburst of some severe weather during the first week 

 in December a considerable local movement is indicated along 

 our coast from north to south, culminating in the enormous rush 

 of Snow Buntings into Lincolnshire about the end of the first 

 week in that month. A careful perusal of the Eeport will show 

 how generally the rushes across Heligoland correlate with those 

 observed on our east coast, although not always confined to the 

 same species in both localities. 



A somewhat remarkable and very anomalous movement of 

 migrants is recorded in the schedules from some of the light- 

 vessels off the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coasts in the spring of 

 1883. In February, March, April, and May, birds passing the 

 Leman and Ower, Llyn Wells, Outer Dowsing, Newarp, and 

 Cockle light-vessels were as a rule coming from easterly and 

 passing in westerly directions. Had this movement been noticed 

 at one station only we might perhaps have been inclined to doubt 

 the accuracy of the return, but tiie fact of five light-vessels having 

 no communication with each other reporting the same circum- 

 stance proves the correctness of the observations. A summary 

 of the spring quarter at these stations shows : — 



Outer Dowsing l.v., March 31st to May 18th, Sparrows, 

 Chaffinches, Wrens, Books, Larks, Tree Sparrows, Linnets, 

 Titlarks, Bullfinches, from E., S.E., E. by S., and N.E. to W, 

 N.W., W.N.W., and W.S.W, 



