BIRD-NOTES FROM HELIGOLAND 

 FOR THE YEAR 1886. 



KEIXRICH GATKE, C.M.Z.S., 

 Honorciry Jleynber of the British Ornithologists JJjiion, etc. ', Secretary to tJie Government 



of Heligola.nd. 



[We have much pleasure in printing this most important contribution 

 to European ornitholog}^ Hehgoland is well known to ornithologists 

 as being the most important station in the Western Palasarctic Region 

 for observing the migratory movements of birds, and it has been fully 

 estabhshed that the movements recorded for that island are most 

 intimately associated with those observed on our own coasts, and 

 especially so with those of the Northern Counties of England. — Eds.] 



1886. January. 

 1st. — W., fresh ; fog the whole day. 

 2nd. — W., fresh, misty; evening clear. 



3rd. — W.N.W., feeble, clear; afternoon, fog; evening, misty, S.W., somewhat 



breaking through ; night, boisterous, S. 

 4th. — W., moderate, overcast ; early, rain. 



]vlany Larks over the sea, southerly-east. Larus 

 iniiiutus daily, very many. 

 5th. — W. , boisterous ; snow, hail, rain, squalls, stormy, lightning, thunder 1 

 6th. — X. i'-, pretty boisterous, clear, single clouds from X.; evening, X.E., 

 stiller. 



Alauda arvensis and Otocorys alpestris^ the first pretty 

 many, the latter scattered ; Plectrophafies nivalis^ a few 

 small flights : Scolopax rusticula, three or four : Gallinago 

 ccelestis and G. gall inula, a couple ; Larus miiiutus, 

 extraordinarily many between both islands. 

 7th. — Early, still clear ; later, W., feeble ; evening, still. 



Turdus inenda, pretty many old cocks 'with yellow- 

 beaks ; T. pilaris, some : Linota cannabina, a flight of 

 fifteen or twenty; Linota flavirosiris and Z. linaria, some; 

 Plectropha7ies nivalis, some. 

 8th. — S. by W., stormy, thick ; afternoon, snow shower ; evening, little stiller 3'. 



Nothing ; a few Turdus merula knocking about in 

 the gardens. 

 9th. — E., still cloudy. 2'; noon. X.E., boisterous. 



Nothing ; Turdus merula still in the gardens ; Larus 

 glacialis [? Z. glaucus\ old bird obtamed. 

 loth. — E., feeble, cloudy, i'. 



Few Crows, stragglers ; Alauda arveiisis ; F7'ingilla 

 7nontifringilla, some : Linota flavirostris, few : Tirdus 

 merula, some old males. 



Oct. 1887. X 



