416 Major W. tL Thompson on the [Ibis, 
most important of this group of islands, and prior to the con¬ 
struction of the Alderney Lighthouse was, by all accounts, 
of even greater interest. The Alderney Lighthouse, first 
opened in 1912, lies at the eastern end of the island, and its 
value to the seafaring community at large is exemplified by 
the almost total cessation, since its construction, of the very 
numerous shipwrecks which formerly took place here, but 
since “ one man’s meat is another man’s poison,” it may be 
remarked that the islanders are the poorer for being deprived 
of that part of their livelihood which was closely connected 
with the afore-mentioned wrecks—at least so tradition 
has it. 
And as an ornithologist I can to some extent sympathise 
with them, inasmuch as, whatever be the exact explanation, 
it appears certain that, since the Alderney Light came into 
use, the stream of migration has been somehow diverted and 
does not now pass so closely to the island as formerly, with 
the result that far fewer birds of passage are observed. 
Many theories have been advanced to account for this 
change, but so many new lights have been constructed along 
the coasts of France and England, that it may be due to one 
or a combination of these, or even to a cause quite uncon¬ 
nected with any of them, but one interesting theory I have 
heard, and which may have something in it, is as follows. 
Before the Alderney Light was constructed, the only light 
in the immediate neighbourhood was that of the Casquets, 
and, since Alderney lies in a direct line between the nearest 
point on the French coast and the Casquets Light, it has 
been thought that the flights, on leaving the Continent, were 
attracted by the nearest light and, passing immediately over 
Alderney, many individuals were induced to land and rest 
there, and vice versa on their return journey. They are now 
attracted by the Alderney Light on the extreme eastern end 
of the island, and thus, for the most part, miss the land 
altogether. 
Alderney itself is a very small island some 3^ square 
miles in area. Its greatest length from east to west is 
3^ miles, and its average width about one mile.. Its southern 
