REPORT ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 187 



shot off again somewhere near Orfordness and crossed the North 

 Sea to the Belgian and French coasts between Nieuport and 

 Dankerque. On Nov. Sith a great quantity of Larks and Starlings 

 passed the Galloper towards the N.N.E, a line which if persevered 

 in would eventuall}' bring them to the Dutch coast. 



At the East-side from the 2nd to the 5th of November flocks of 

 " Crows" -svere observed passing from the S. to the N., or from the 

 French to the Suffolk coast. The great bod}- of the immigrants 

 during 1879 have crossed at the more southern stations, the four 

 lightships on the Goodwin Sands, also the Nore, the Shipwash 

 and Kentish Knock showing a constant and continuous stream 

 on to the south-east coast. These birds would all cross at the 

 narrowest part of the North Sea directl}^ from E. to W. to the 

 English coast. The long prevalence of north-westerly winds in 

 October and November may to a great extent have deflected the 

 lines of migration much farther to the south than is generally 

 the case. 



Migrants have passed the stations at all hours of the day and 

 night, flying at no great altitude and in almost all wdnds and 

 weather. When the nights are dark and cloudy, no stars 

 appearing, in rain, fogs and snowstorms, flocks of birds during 

 tlie night migrations will crowd round the lanterns of the light- 

 ships ; many strike the glass and are killed, falling on deck or 

 pitching overboard. On these nights birds will often remain 

 for hours in the vicinity of a light, circling round and round, 

 evidently having lost their w^ay ; at the first break in the clouds, 

 the stars becoming visible, or the first streak of earl}^ dawn, they 

 will resume their flight to the nearest land. 



The "great rush" of immigrants was from the 12th to the 

 28rd of October. The " final rush " took place just preceding and 

 during the first burst of winter, early in December. 



The occurrences when birds travel dead to windward are very 

 rare indeed, and then onl}^ with light winds. In the great majority 

 of cases birds migrate flying within two to four points of the wdnd, 

 sometimes wdth a "beam" wind, or even a point or two " abaft of 

 beam." If the wind changes during the actual passage, birds will 

 change the direction of their flight to suit the wind. Tlius at the 

 Shipwash, on Oct. 16th, from 9.50 a.m. to 1.20 p.m. the wind w\as 

 N.N.W., flocks constantly passing from S.E. to N.W. from 1.20 

 to 3.20 p.m. the wind blew from N.N.E. , and the birds passed 



