40 REPORT ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



an immense migration of the Sylviince in the same direction. 

 Migration appears to have reached its climax on or about 

 Sept. 22nd, an enormous number of various immigrants coming 

 in from this time to the end of the month. Not the least 

 remarkable was the influx of the larger raptorial birds crossing 

 Heligoland on Sept. 22nd and two following days, and were 

 about the same period seen along the entire range of our eastern 

 coast. From this date to the end of October ten Ospreys were 

 procured from localities contiguous to the east coast of England, 

 between the Tyne and the Thames. Again, the third week of 

 October there was another large immigration of birds of various 

 species. On the night of Oct. 24th great numbers of Mealy 

 Redpoles came in on the Holderness coast ; the same flight was 

 also traceable as far north as the Fame Islands; the Mealy 

 Eedpoles appear to have been accompanied or closely followed 

 by a flight of Siskins. Hooded Crows came with their usual 

 regularity, almost to a day; this autumn the great flight crossed 

 Heligoland on the afternoon of Oct. 17th, and on the 18th. 

 There was a corresponding arrival along the whole of our east 

 coast on the night of 17th or early morning of 18th, and on 

 the 19th. 



Short-eared Owls, Golden Crested Wrens, and Woodcocks 

 arrive with great punctuality during the first fortnight in October, 

 and are invariably associated in their migration — that is, coming 

 at the same time ; it is a curious fact that, in the last autumn, 

 all three arrived in conjunction five weeks in advance of their 

 average period ; this perhaps may have been a local and coast 

 movement from North Britain' and not across the North Sea. 



In August and early in September, Knots, Grey Plovers, 

 Sanderlings, Curlew Sandpipers, and Little Stints — all circum- 

 polar in their nesting — had returned in large number, being 

 unusually abundant and early in their movements up the 

 coast. 



The Anatidce have been remarkably scarce in shore and 

 within our river estuaries, and. it has been an almost blank 

 season for the wildfowl-shooter ; yet we find, in the returns from 

 some light-vessels, they have occurred in extraordinary numbers 

 out at sea, the weather having never been sufficiently severe to 

 drive them inland or near the coast. 



With a dry hot summer in Northern Europe migration is 



