WEST COAST OF SCOTLAND. • 57 



and Pentland Skerries, about equal, but the latter rather the 

 larger, both returning three filled schedules, principally autumn 

 migration.* 



Regarding the spring migration, the Bell Eock and the Isle 

 of May have hitherto held their place as yielding the largest 

 returns, and very considerable numerical returns are given for 

 1881. Now, Sandwich Terns pass every spring up north along 

 the coast of Forfarshire, but shoot off from the land again, and 

 do not breed upon much of the suitable lands they pass over. 

 An occasional pair of birds do remain and breed, as is shown 

 by the nesting of this species on Inch Mickery, in the Firth 

 of Forth, this past season, and on a previous occasion at the 

 same place. In the same way we know that Grey Plover, 

 Knot, and Bartailed Godwit shoot off the land at Spurn Point, 

 as they are obtained there in full breeding dress, but nowhere 

 to the north of it in breeding plumage, except in isolated 

 cases. The routes of spring migrants, while they are usually 

 more direct than those of autumn migrants, are perhaps more 

 difficult to trace, and our statistics as yet are far from perfect. 

 Since the above remarks were penned I have a well-filled schedule 

 from Isle of May relating to the spring migration of 1882, which, 

 however, will be included in our next Report. 



The extraordinarily large migration of raptorial birds is worth 

 a remark here, and it is interesting to find with what regularity 

 and precision such foreign species as the Rough-legged Buzzard 

 recur year after year along certain very clearly defined lines, 

 records of captures constantly indicating this. 



It will be seen that the results of our statistics on the Scottish 

 coasts show a '' closed-fan " of migration, owing to prevalence of 

 westerly winds, except at Pentland Skerries, where local easterly 

 winds blew at the times of migration in September and Novem- 

 ber, and on the Scottish coast, from BeU Rock and southward, 

 we had the greatest rushes, whilst further south, on the English 

 coasts, there was an " open-fan" of migration, owing to a preva- 

 lence of east winds. ■ • 



* Besides several more relating to 1882. 



