Introduction; Migration. 
49 
and Nycticorasc caledonicus\ and the Rails, Hypotaenidia phiUppensis , Amaurornis 
cinerea and moluccana. Dr. Ramsay’s term “nomadic” for wandering Australian 
birds denotes an initiatory form of migration not of a regular half-yearly cha- 
racter, but, as is shown by the above species, a development of the migratory 
habits is sometimes found as high as in many species of the northern hemisphere. 
The return-migration. — - Birds do not appear always to return in spring by 
the route pursued in autumn, often, apparently, being rare or absent in one 
season in districts through which they pass in abundance in the other season. 
Birds which stay behind in their winter quarters. — It seems to be a very 
common occurrence for a few individuals to stay throughout the year in the 
winter resorts of the species. Among Celebesian species which have been found 
in the island after their fellows have departed to their breeding localities in 
the North, or, respectively, the South, may be mentioned: Merops ornatus, Motacilla 
Jlava, Charadrius fulvus., Aegialitis geojjfroyi^ A. mongola^ A. curonica.^ Totanus glottis^ 
T. glareola^ Heteractitis hrevipes.^ Tringa acuminata, T. rujicollis, Numenius variegatus. 
To these Motacilla boarula and Anthus gustavi should probably be added; the 
first has been sent to us from Manado tua as late as May, the Pipit as late 
as May 26*^. Other instances of migrants killed in the Moluccas and elsewhere 
at dates when the main body of their species is absent will be, found in the text. 
During his travels in Polynesia Dr. Finsch found many Waders of several species 
on the Marshall and Gilbert atolls of the Central Pacific in the summer 
months; and similar observations will be found in “Stray Feathers” and elsewhere. 
It is unprofitable to speculate on the cause of this violation of the general 
rule, as the possible explanations are many and the individual judgment is prone 
to select that which conforms best to its own prejudices. Several reasons may 
indeed work together in inducing these birds to stay behind. The following is 
likely to escape general observation, viz. the time of shedding the remiges varies 
in individuals') and a bird with its powers of flight thus diminished at the 
spring migration might well hesitate at attempting the journey. Or an accident 
— a broken wing or leg - — may delay an individual, and as observers know, 
one or more sympathetic companions will be likely to remain by the injured 
one with a devotion equal to that of man himself. In other cases, as, for in- 
stance, the individuals on the. atolls in the middle of the Pacific, it may more 
plausibly be supposed that the birds had lost their way. At other times it looks 
as if the birds remain behind simply from choice. But, though in Natural 
History it is almost always impossible to assert that a certain this, and this 
only, is the true explanation, it is happily sometimes possible to show that 
some other is an untrue explanation. Thus, it has been asked in Baird, 
1) See pp. 739, 744, 747, 761, 762, 765, 768, 772, 798. 
Meyer & Wigleswortli Birds of Celebes (May 5th 1898). 
7 
