72 REPORT ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



September 1st, and continued onward to January 20th, 1885, or 

 142 days. Four distinct rushes or flights are also indicated, — 

 October 5th and 6th ; another on the 10th to the 16th ; a third, 

 probably the "great flight," on the 28th; and again a very 

 large flight between November the 11th and 13th. Independent 

 of these there has been a constant dropping in by two or three 

 together, or singly, throughout the autumn and winter. Wood- 

 cocks have also crossed Heligoland in the same desultory 

 fashion ; and the dates of the chief flights will be found to 

 correlate closely with the rushes on to our East Coast. 



In the latter part of November and early in December there 

 was a considerable arrival of Bitterns on the East Coast, 

 probably driven across by the severe weather on the Continent 

 between November the 28th and December 2nd. 



Besides the Bluethroats, already noticed, several rare and 

 casual visitants have been recorded during the autumn. Two 

 examples of the Barred "Warbler, one at Spurn Point and 

 another on the Norfolk coast. The Icterine Warbler, also on 

 the Norfolk coast ; and an Ortolan Bunting, likewise from the 

 same locality. The Lapland Bunting, in Lincolnshire and 

 Norfolk ; Tengmalm's Owl, in Holderness ; and a rose-coloured 

 Starling, near Spurn. 



Mr. Gatke's Heligoland notes, from June 28th to the end of 

 the year, comprise 118 species, including, as usual, several rare 

 visitors to the ornithological observatory : — Icterine Warblers on 

 Aug. 18th ; Anthus richardi, Sept. 3rd to Oct. 12th ; A. campestris' 

 Sept. 4th ; Carpodacus erythrinus, Sept. 9th ; Anthus ccrvinus, a 

 great many, from Sept. 15th to Oct. 12th; Lanius major, in most 

 unusual numbers, from Sept. 17th to Nov. 4th; Alauda cristata, 

 Sept. 30th and Oct. 1st ; Scwicola stapazina (?), Oct. 2nd ; Turdus 

 varius, Oct. 3rd, 12th and 23rd, one each day ; Emberiza pusilla, 

 Oct. 5th, two; Turdus miyratorius, one on Oct. 14th ; Fringilla 

 rufescens, our English Redpoll, one on Nov. 22nd. Besides 

 these large numbers of continental species, which are classed 

 amongst the rare and occasional visitants to the British Islands, 

 and whose line of migration is normally far to eastward of these 

 islands, as Emberiza hortulaua, Motacilla flava, M. alba, Sylvia 

 suecica, Anthus rupestris, Calcarius lapponicus, Otocorys alpestris, 

 Nyctala tengmabni, Ruticilla titys, liegulus ignicapillus, and 

 Larus minutus. 



