May, 1889. migration of swallows and martins. 
101 
In 1888,1 was again at Lulworth early in September, but 
the migration had not yet begun. After leaving it, I spent 
ten days in Exmoor, where the Swallows were still present in 
large numbers, but gathering for migration. At Witliypool, 
in Exmoor, they had selected a tall tree for a gathering- 
place, as there was no house in the village with a roof large 
or sunny enough to suit their needs. It would have been 
interesting to have followed these birds when thev left, and 
to track them and other companies on their eastward journey ; 
but this I was not able to do, as I had to return to Oxford on 
the 18th. 
But on the 6tli of October, just before the Oxford term 
began, I was able to pay a hurried visit to some friends at 
Swanage, some fifteen miles east of Lulworth, on the coast 
of Dorset. I hardly hoped to see anything of migration, as 
it was so late ; but on the morning of the 7tli I walked to 
the rocky coast south-west of the little town. What I saw 
then, and on the following Tuesday, will be better under¬ 
stood by the reader if he will look for a moment at any map 
of this part of the coast—unless, that |is, he happens to be 
personally acquainted with it. 
From Weymouth, until just before it reaches Swanage, 
the coast runs in a fairly straight line from west to east, only 
bulging southwards somewhat about St. Aldlielm’s Head; 
but at Durlstone Point, a mile from Swanage, it suddenly 
turns sharp to the north for many miles to Poole Harbour, 
where once more it starts eastwards, past Bournemouth and 
Lymington, to Southampton Water. Swanage, therefore,looks 
direct east over the sea, and is immediately opposite to the 
Isle of Wight, the white cliffs near the Needles being a very 
conspicuous object on any tolerably clear day, though 
separated from the gazer by some twenty miles of sea. 
When, on the morning of October 7th, I reached the 
coast near Durlstone Point, I found that the Swallow-migra¬ 
tion was still going on, for a small party soon passed me and 
disappeared towards that headland. As they vanished, the 
question occurred to me, what will they do when they reach 
the point where the coast turns northwards at a sharp right- 
angle ? Will they follow it northwards, or will they cross 
the sea to the Isle of Wight, or is this, perhaps, a point at 
which they strike across to France ? It began, in fact, to 
dawn upon me that this sudden turn in the coast-line was 
one which would surely raise a question in the minds of the 
birds as well as in mine, and I was extremelv curious to 
see what thev would do. 
