WEST COAST OF ENGLAND. 91 



variable ; daily average about 100. {Note, — The expression 

 " flying S. and N." probabl}^ means /ro;;i S. to X.) At Skervuile, 

 March 1st, at 8 a.m., S.W. gale, rain and sleet ; Oct. 26th, last seen 

 10 a.m., fresh N.E. wind, clear. At Lochindaul, May 14th, one 

 seen fishing, wind E., clear, dry. 



Cormorants. — At Cape Wrath, April 16th, thirty " Scarts " 

 arrived, 10 a.m., E. wind, showers. At Stornoway, Sept. 14th, 

 seven flj^ing S.W. at noon, light S.W. wind, clear ; Sept. 21st, 

 flock of ditto at 2 p.m., light W. wind, flying S.W., raining; 

 Oct. 26th, flock of ditto flying W., 11 a.m., N. gale, snow; 

 Dec. 24th, flock of ditto flying S.E., N. wind, fresh, snow. The 

 above probably refer to local migrations. 



Unidentified. — At Portpatrick, between Oct. 7th and 28th, a 

 migration appears to have gone on at intervals of small birds : 

 thus on the 7th "flocks of small birds," at 7 a.m., strong N.E. 

 breeze, clear, flying S.W. ; the same on the 14th, flying S.W., in 

 light easterly wind, and clear ; the same on the 15th, flying W., 

 in light S. winds, clear; the same on the 28th, light N.E. wind, 

 hazy, direction and flight not noted. Again, flocks of small 

 birds on Dec. 25th, at the same station, flying E., were observed, 

 in strong N. breeze ; and flocks flew^ round all day on 26th, in 

 light E. wind, and clear. In August, on the 25th, at 5.45 p.m., 

 fifty-two (species unknown) seen flying S.S.W., at Bahama l.v., 

 light E. by S. wind. 



General Remarks. 



In our general remarks, in 1879, we took notice of the 

 scarcity of birds at many important stations, such as the Butt of 

 Lewis, Monach Island, &c. This season shows a considerable 

 increase upon last year's returns, and the horizontal lines of 

 migration — or rays of the fan — seem to have spread out wider 

 and reached farther north in 1880 than in 1879 ; and this 

 increase of observations on the west coast, be it noted, is 

 irrespective, apparently, of the scarcity upon our Scottish east 

 coast. We also receive accounts of immense numbers of birds 

 being seen this season in mid-Atlantic, the dates of their 

 appearance there agreeing very accurately with dates of ob- 

 servations at the land stations. In the 1879 migration the 

 scarcity was accounted for by the j)i'evalence of N.W. winds 



