EUROPEAN MIGRANTS IN EAST AFRICA 108 
is almost always found between May 1 and 17, and it is seldom 
that even a single bird is seen after this in places where a bag 
of ten or twelve couple could have been made only a day or two 
before. 
The earliest of the migrants begin to arrive about the end 
of August, and the bird I have usually seen first is the Asiatic 
Dotterel, a visitor from Siberia. They arrive in small lots of 
three or four, but before they leave congregate into flocks of 
thousands. I may add here that they are most excellent 
eating, being very fat and quite equal to snipe though, of course, 
not so large. 
Other waders seem to follow them, but it is noticeable that 
one sees far less of the migrants on their southern journey 
than on their return. Partly, I have no doubt, owing to their 
being more scattered, and also in very poor plumage. On 
their return journey they are in almost full breeding plumage, 
and are also travelling in company to a large extent. 
There is, however, another possible reason why the feathered 
travellers are not seen so much on their southward migration, 
that is, they may travel by another route, and to discover this 
would be most interesting. There is no doubt whatever 
that the route followed is not always the same, but is liable 
to change owing to the season and rains. 
The Great Snipe of which I have already spoken is one year 
numerous in a certain district in May, while another year not a 
bird will be seen. 
In addition to the migration of the European birds there 
is the migration of purely African birds, but of this we know 
very little indeed. Various species breed here that one does 
not see at any other time. And various Cuckoos only appear 
at certain seasons of the year. 
The Emerald, Golden and Klaas’s Cuckoo all appear about 
November, and stay till May, apparently. The fact is worth 
noticing that they appear in South Africa in November, so that 
this cannot be their haunt. 
The Golden and Klaas’s Cuckoo lay eggs in April and May, 
I know — and I should not be at all surprised if they also left 
their eggs in the nests of birds that breed in the small rains. 
Mr. W. L. Sclater in the lucid paper he read before the 
