62 REPORT ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



tails (Bedstarts), Starlings, Blackbirds, young Swallows, and 

 several Lapwings — the Larks predominating by hundreds, and 

 the Mavis by tens over the others, so far as observed. 



Skervwile. — John Ewing sends two well-filled schedules from 

 7th February to 26th December 1886. Under 25th March he 

 says : " There has been an abundance of Gulls and Boatswains' 

 birds up to October. On April loth Solans are noted as seen 

 night and morning during July, August, and September. Bush 

 is also distinctly participated in on 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th. (See 

 under species for details.) 



Bhinns of Islay. — Peter Anderson and Mr Ducat. — Besides 

 sending five regular schedules, fully filled up, Mr Anderson has 

 also, in a very neat and efficient way, kept a still more minute 

 day-to-day record on his own plan. We now have these for 

 the month of February. When we have a schedule of this de- 

 scription for every month in the year, we think it may prove 

 desirable to publish the series seriatim et literatim. The 

 statistics could not fail to be serviceable. Thousands of Larks 

 seen passing south for days during the October rush. They 

 write : " We think if you had been here on the night of 5th and 

 morning of the 6th October, you would have seen migration to 

 your heart's content. I have never seen anything like it before. 

 About 7 p.m. they commenced, and increased until 10, when 

 it was something grand to see, and continued up to 2 A.M. of 

 the 6th, making a perfect concert of sounds — even the drums 

 were not awanting — as the small birds striking the lantern and 

 dome answered for the small drum, and the larger ones at odd 

 times for the big drum. I will here mention a list of as many 

 of the birds as I could distinguish, but I will make no attempt 

 at numbers, as they were simply innumerable : — Bedwings, 

 Lapwings, Larks (these three the most numerous), Thrush, 

 Missel-Thrush, Moorhen, Bobins, Goldcrests, one Blackbird, one 

 Teal Duck (both latter caught), Blackbirds, Water-rail, Terns, 

 Starlings, and numerous other kinds I did not know. Weather 

 thick, with haze and rain ; wind S.E. to E. The birds seemed 

 all to be flying against the wind. One Woodcock seen. Last 

 night, 7th October, we had scarcely a bird, although it was a 

 night of rain ; hut the wind was from the north." [This account 

 of the great rush is most interesting and valuable. — J. A. H.-B.] 

 " The rush continued till 2 a.m. of the 6th, but then eased a 



