Part 6

Outer Dowsing L.V., October 6th.--11 A.M. to 2 P.M., calm and fog. Mr W. Stock writes: "A very large quantity of birds flew over, and a great many flying about the vessel--Starlings, Redwings, Larks, Mountain Sparrows, Golden-Crested Wrens, six Robins, four Redpoles, Chaffinches, and Pewits, about 300 mixed Crows and Rooks--altogether about 600 or more. Birds leaving the vessel appear to go about W. and W.S.W. When the fog cleared and the sun broke through, the Crows were seen passing to W. in three nights from 11 till 11.45 A.M. At noon they came back to the vessel in a body, and remained till 1 P.M. Caught one Redwing Thrush that was struck by a Crow and fell on deck bleeding. Several small birds struck by Crows and fell in water. Two Red-winged Thrushes and one Chaffinch caught on board."

Cockle L.V., September 14th.--11 A.M., calm. Great quantities of small bluish-coloured Flies; left at 1 P.M.

Languard L.V., September.--"The Musquitoes," Mr Owen Boyle writes, "have been very numerous throughout the months of July, August, and September. They have been very troublesome; many people had swelled hands, puffed faces, and even black eyes, from their stings." October 4th.--Lady-birds in large numbers on the breakwater at noon, and up to sunset. At 3 P.M. they were to be seen in thousands.

Swin Middle L.V.--Mr S. Pender, with reference to the migration of the Ringed Plover, writes under date of October 30th: "Concerning the birds which, I think, must be the 'stone-runners,' and their manœuvres, it was very amusing to watch them. The birds were first seen in an eastward direction, and I should think thousands, for when in close contact they had the appearance of a small black cloud; at other times in a long line and half circle, and so on. After they had finished their exercise they separated into two parties, one passing to the westward at no great distance from the vessel, and the other disappeared in the direction where first seen. Sometimes they would rise so high in the air, that they could not be seen without a telescope, at other times apparently touching the water."

Hanois L.H., October 31st, 8 P.M.--A quantity of Silver Gamma Moths; also a few brown ones, but smaller than the Gamma.

Mr Philip W. Munn, writing from Nieder Kaufungen, near Cassel, Germany, under date of March 30th, 1886, says:

"The weather began to break up on Saturday week, and all the snow had disappeared by the following Monday morning. No sooner did the weather begin to break, and even before, than the birds began to rush northwards to their breeding quarters.

"On the 25th of February, quantities of Skylarks flew overhead in small parties in a northerly direction, the wind being S.E. This species stopped here on the 5th of March, and have now taken the place of the Crested Larks, most of which have left.

"On March 12th, I saw a Grey Wagtail; and a Hawfinch arrived and stayed here for a few days, and then departed.

"On the 16th, a large flock of Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, and Rooks (the Books have been very rare during the winter) flew over towards the N.E.; the passing over lasted ten minutes. On many other days later have I also seen small parties of '_Corvidæ_' hurrying N.E.

"On March 18th, I saw a Black-Headed Bunting; on the 19th, White and Pied Wagtails arrived. Now the Pied have left, and quantities of the White remain and have begun to build.

"On the 23d, an extraordinary migration of Cranes began, and is going on at intervals now; they are usually flying in a N. or N.E. direction, but yesterday I saw three flying S.E., which has much confused me. On the 23d, a flock settled in the fields near here for a short time. Soon after this flock had gone, no less than nine flights, of from forty to one hundred birds in each flock, flew over at intervals.

"Curiously enough Robins and Thrushes are only summer migrants here; they arrived on the 24th.

"I heard the Chiffchaff on March 25th; and on the same day was another great migration of Cranes.

"On October 15th was the great rush of migratory birds, parties of various sorts continually passing the whole day to the S.W."

List of Wings sent in from Lighthouses and Light-vessels, East Coast of England.

Station. Date. Species. 1886.

Leman and Ower L.V. Jan. 23. Snow Bunting. " " April 25. Wheatear. " May 13. Whinchat. " " " 23. Wheatear. " " " 24. Sedge Warbler. " " " 23. Turtle Dove. " " June 1. Wheatear. " " " 18. Oystercatcher. Shipwash L.V. May 18. Two Grey Plover. " " " 18. Yellow Hammer. " " " 18. Wheatear. Swin Middle L.V. Sept. 26. Cuckoo, young. Nore L.V. Oct. 4. Redwing. Spurn L.H. " 8. Little Grebe, bird sent. " " " 26. Guillemot. Shipwash L.V. " 22. Quail. " " " 22. Goldcrest. Llyn Wells L.V. Nov. 1. Two Water Rails. Coquet L.H. " 17. Long-tailed Duck. " " " 4. Water Rail. " " Oct. 5. Sedge Warbler. Hasbro' L.V. Aug. 27. Red-backed Shrike. " " Sept. 3. Rock Pipit. " " " 19. Redstart. " " Oct. 31. Stormy Petrel. " " Nov. 12. Fieldfare. Spurn L.V. " 1. Water Rail. South Sand Head L.V. Oct. 5, 6. Chaffinch. Leman and Ower L.V. Dec. 29. Little Grebe. 1887. " " Jan. 18. Tree Sparrow. " " " 24. Rock Pipit. " " " 25. Robin. Shipwash L.V. Feb. 13. Knot. " " April 12. Woodcock.

General Remarks.

As in 1885, the main body of immigrants crossed in two great rushes, corresponding with the first and third weeks in October. This was considerably earlier than the chief general movements of the preceding year. The meteorological conditions of the first period were easterly and south-easterly winds, pressure system cyclonic, accompanied by much fog and thick weather. During the second period the pressure system again mainly cyclonic, but with very variable winds.

As usual Rooks, Daws, Hooded Crows, Starlings, and Larks, occupy a considerable portion of the schedules. Chaffinches also have crossed in extraordinary numbers. They are always numerous, but this autumn their migration has been in considerable excess of previous years. With these exceptions, however, there has been a singular and very marked falling off in some species whose breeding range lies chiefly in the north of Europe. This is specially noticeable in the small arrivals recorded of Fieldfares, Redwings, Ring Ouzels, Bramblings, Snow Buntings, Short-eared Owls, and Woodcocks. Taken altogether, the migratory record for 1886 is a very poor one.

No wild Swans are recorded, the few entries in the schedules having undoubtedly reference to escapes from parks and private waters. Geese and Ducks have appeared quite as numerously as in previous years.

The arrivals of rare and occasional visitants have been few, those of chief interest being three Harlequin Ducks (_Cosmonetta histrionica_) at the Farn Islands; the Mediterranean Black-headed Gull (_Larus melanocephalus_), shot on Breydon Water, near Yarmouth; a Purple Heron (_Ardea purpurea_), shot on Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft; and the reputed occurrences of the Snowy Owl (_Nyctea scandiaca_) close to the Languard L.H., Suffolk. Of much interest also is the arrival of Shorelarks (_Otocorys alpestris_) on the coast between the Farn Islands and Yarmouth.

The continued yearly observations show that on the East Coast of England the principal points of arrival for migrants are the mouths of the chief rivers, also those parts of the coast which present either a flat and open shore, or cliffs of low altitude. Considerable stretches of coast, which, as a rule, have a high cliff line, make poor returns, or in some cases no schedules are sent in, indicating a great scarcity of birds.

It is well known that migrants under certain meteorological conditions travel at a great height, when it may fairly be presumed that the physical features of the earth's surface, the trend of mountain chains, or the course of great river systems, have little to do in determining their line, which is from point to point, and without deviation; yet in the vast majority of cases, where migration is visible, birds travel at a comparatively low altitude, so that when passing mountain chains, and even hills of no great altitude, they invariably choose the lines of the valleys, following depressions which, more or less, correspond to the general direction of their course. In the Cheviots I have observed, for two years in succession, that the streams of small migrants from Scotland follow those main valleys which run nearest north and south, sticking closely to the lowest levels, where the brushwood and bracken beds offer greater privacy and security than the bare fell sides. Birds also, when migrating, follow from choice low-lying tracks of land and river courses in preference to elevated plateau and the summit line of mountain ranges.

Bearing these facts in mind, we find that there is a very well-marked line, both of entry and return, at the Farn Islands, on the coast of Northumberland. Scarcely second to this is the mouth of the Tees, both in spring and autumn. The North Yorkshire coast, from south of Redcar to Flamborough, including the north side of the headland, is comparatively barren, few birds appearing to come in between these points. Bridlington Bay and Holderness to Spurn and Lincolnshire, as far as Gibraltar Point, give perhaps the best returns of any on the East Coast. The north of Norfolk is poor, but there are indications in the heavy returns annually sent from the Llyn Wells, Dudgeon, Leman and Ower, and Happisburgh light-vessels, that a closely focused stream pours along the coast from E. to W., to pass inland by the estuary of the Wash and the river systems of the Nene and Welland into the centre of England, and thence probably following the line of the Avon, the north coast of the Severn, and Bristol Channel, and eventually striking across the Irish Sea, to enter Ireland near the Tuskar Rock, off the Wexford coast. This route is undoubtedly the great and main thoroughfare for birds in transit across England to Ireland in the autumn. Large numbers of migrants also which pass inland from the coasts of Holderness and Lincolnshire may eventually join in with the great western highway by the line of the Trent, avoiding altogether the mountainous districts of Wales. These remarks will refer chiefly to the Passerine birds, the _Accipitres_, _Limicolæ_, and _Gaviæ_, also Geese and Ducks, when crossing land, travelling as a rule very high.

To return once more to the East Coast, the Norfolk seaboard between Cromer and Yarmouth and the corresponding light-vessels show a large annual immigration, but the returns are less pronounced between Yarmouth and Orfordness. The coast of Essex, with the northern side of the Thames estuary, is fairly good; but the opposite coast of Kent, from the North to the South Forelands, including the four Goodwin and the Varne light-vessels, is a barren and pre-eminently uninteresting district for arrivals, both as regards numbers and species, the chief migrants seen being such as are following the coast to the south.

Those migrants, which in the autumn follow the East Coast from north to south, pass directly from the Spurn to the Lincolnshire coast without entering the Humber; and there are no indications that they follow the shores of the Wash in and out, but shape their course from about Gibraltar Point to the Norfolk coast. To judge from the well-filled schedules sent in year by year from the Shipwash, Swin Middle, Kentish Knock, and Galloper light-vessels, a closely packed stream passes somewhere from the coast of Suffolk across the North Sea in the line of these stations, both in the spring and autumn, to and from the Continent. Autumn migrants approaching the Humber from the sea do not follow the course of that river into the interior--that is from S.E. to N.W.--the line they take invariably crosses the river diagonally, and is from E.S.E. to W.N.W. This course is so persistently followed, that I have observed year by year, on a migratory day, birds cross our fields at the same angle. Supposing this course to be continued they would strike the Trent at or near Gainsborough.

Except in one instance no returns have been obtained from any stations on the south-east coast between the South Foreland and St Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight. This is much to be regretted, as it is known that a strong migratory highway runs along the South Coast as well as on the French side of the Channel.

==============

WEST COAST OF SCOTLAND.

Schedules, etc., were sent to thirty-five stations, not including the Isle of Man (five more), the schedules for which are under Mr Eagle Clarke's charge. Of the thirty-five we have received returns from fifteen stations. From these fifteen stations we have thirty-eight filled schedules. We have again received two schedules from Monach Islands; but, as in 1885, they are again written straight across the schedule, irrespective of columns. To enter all these notes in their right places and sequence in our Report would cause great additional labour and loss of time to the working members of the Committee, as already fully explained in last Report (p. 92), _q.v._

We would be much obliged by our Reporters adhering to the columnar arrangement.

LIST OF STATIONS.

Note: The names of the Reporters are given under "Diary from the Stations."

Returns in 8 years, In including 1887. List of Stations. 1887. Values. Feet.

Sutherland.

4 81. Cape Wrath, III. 400 4 82. Rhu Stoir, II. 195

Outer Hebrides.

7 * 83. Butt of Lewis, I. 170 3 84. Stornoway (2 Lights), { II. } 56 { I. } 3 85. Island Ghlais, I. 130 7 * 86. Monach Islands, { I. 150 { II. 62 2 87. Ushenish, N. Unst, VI. 176 4 88. Barra Head, II. 683 4 * 89. Rona, Skye, IV. 222 7 * 90. Kyleakin, W. Ross, IV. 53 2 91. Isle Ornsay, I. 58 2 92. Ardnamurchan I. 8 * 93. Skerryvore and Hynish Signal Tower, Tiree, II. 150 8 * 94. Dhuheartach, I. 146 5 95. Sound of Mull, V. 55 0 96. Corran Ferry, IV. 38 4 97. Lismore, Oban, I. 103 2 98. Fladda, Easdale, VI. 42 4 99. Rhuvaal, IV. 147 7 100. M'Arthur's Head, IV. 128 8 * 101. Skervuile, II. 73 8 * 102. Rhinns of Islay, IV. 159 3 * 103. Lochindaul, IV. 50 0 104. Mull of Cantyre, VI. 297 0 105. Sanda, 0 106. Devaar, II. 120 0 107. Pladda, Arran, II. 130 5 * 108. Lamlash, Arran, IV. 46 4 * 109. Turnberry, Ayrshire, IV. 96 4 109b. Ailsa Craig, 1885, 7 * 110. Corsewall, IV. 112 0 111. Loch Ryan, I. 46 7 * 112. Portpatrick, I. 37 7 * 113. Mull of Galloway, II. 325 4 * 114. Little Ross, IV. 176

_Diary from the Stations._

_Butt of Lewis._--Robert Agnew (replacing Mr Edgar, who is now at Lochindaul, _q.v._). Mr R. Agnew is a son of Mr Joseph Agnew, late keeper at Isle of May (East Coast), now stationed at Monach Isles, _q.v._ Mr R. Agnew sends, in all, two excellently well-filled schedules from the Butt of Lewis. Under date of November 9th, 1886, he writes: "I send you a schedule. I hope you will find it of use. I would have sent it sooner, but wrote to my father for the loan of a book to help me, and waited till I heard from him." [Schedules sent date from August 23d to February 7, 1887.] Mr Agnew continues: "I am surprised to see that most of the strange birds that I have seen here are _single_. It must just be occasional stragglers that we get from the flocks that are passing. It is also strange that there are so few birds coming to the lantern, but the tower is very high--120 feet--and perhaps that is the reason." [Mr R. Agnew is right in believing that stragglers are all that can be expected to appear at Butt of Lewis, though possibly in exceptional seasons unusual numbers may appear. Birds "catch up" at Cape Wrath and W. C. of Scotland. Remnants "catch up" again at Butt of Lewis. But in easterly gales the "catch up" of the land is often lost, and hundreds or thousands are carried clear away to the Atlantic. See previous Reports.--J. A. H.-B.] Mr Agnew continues: "I have marked a Hen Harrier, and by the description in the book" [he having received the loan of the book from his father--Mudie's "Birds"], "I think I am right. He remained here for some time, and the poor Rock Pigeons led a poor time of it. I also found a young Gull he had killed and eaten. I was surprised to see it, because I did not think that he would have attacked so large a bird. I measured the wings, and found them to be 4 feet 2 inches from tip to tip." [Mr R. A. sent me the wings, but they did not reach me, and must have miscarried, but no doubt it was one of the common species of Gulls; from the measurements, probably a Herring Gull; or possibly--_i.e._, if the measurements are correctly taken across the back and wings--an Iceland Gull. (See MacGillivray's "Manual," under the said species, vol. ii., p. 247.)--J. A. H.-B.] Mr R. A. says: "I only came here last summer, and did not begin to keep records till near the end of August, but another year I hope to be able to do better." [Meanwhile, we can only thank Mr R. A. for his excellent commencement of the work, which is well done.--J. A. H.-B.]

Later, in the second schedule, Mr R. A. writes: "There has been nothing to record since the 25th of November." [Last date of schedule.--J. A. H.-B.] "The Snow Buntings have remained with us all winter. All summer we had large flocks of Solan Geese, till the first of October; after that there were a few till the 1st of November; but since then (till February 7, 1887) _I have not seen one_." [These Solan Geese notes are always interesting. Perhaps Mr Agnew will devote a separate schedule to the day-to-day movements of Solan Geese another season.--J. A. H.-B.] He continues: "On the 24th October I observed very large flocks of sea-birds, fishing close to the lighthouse. There were all sorts of them; I could not say how many, but there must have been many hundreds. We saw them from 9 A.M. till 11 A.M. After that there was not one to be seen (where did they come from and where did they go?)." [We believe they simply followed a vast body of fish--young or adult--or _entomostracæ_, which "showed" on the surface, indicating one of the strange, or little understood, migrations of fish, or _entomostracæ_. One or two of the birds shot, and contents of their stomachs examined, might have explained a great deal. Possibly Mr Agnew may still be able to supply a note as to the nature of their food at the time.--J. A. H.-B.]

_Monach Isles._--D. Georgeson sends two closely written schedules, but, as before stated, straight across the columns. We will give them here _in extenso_ as the simplest way of writing them in.

Under date of December 1st, 1886, Mr Georgeson writes to us thus: "I send you my two last schedules, filled up to date of end of October. I received intimation of my removal from this station to Sound of Mull, Tobermory. I expect the 'Signal' daily to take me to my new home. I do not know what sort of a place it is as regards birds, but if you send me schedules I hope to be able to give you a report, however short."

[_Note._--In January 1887 Mr Harvie-Brown had an opportunity of interviewing Mr Georgeson, and having a pleasant chat, at Sound of Mull Lighthouse. No schedules have come from it, but the site is not good, and is much hidden by high land to the westward. It gave us much pleasure, however, to make Mr G.'s acquaintance, and thank him for his hearty co-operation hitherto at Monach Isles.

We have pleasure here in fully quoting Mr Georgeson's last schedules from Isles of Monach, where he is succeeded by Mr Joseph Agnew, late of the Isle of May, who we are sure will find Mr Georgeson's notes of interest and value.--J. A. H.-B.]

Mr Georgeson writes as follows: "Since my last report to you ending December 1885, I have had little to add in the way of forwarding your useful work regarding migration, and of the numbers and varieties of sea birds passing or frequenting this station. I notice a visible decrease annually in the numbers of both land and sea birds, a decrease attributed to the island not being so quiet as it was some years ago, before the lighthouse was built, when the birds had the island all to themselves, and there was no one residing on it, but was only used by the natives for grazing purposes. Now the keepers and their families going round the island, the small birds are disturbed at the period of incubation.

"In January and February a few Terns, Snow Buntings, Twites, and Rock Pipits struck the lantern, the wind being south. Of sea birds during those months I observed a few Solan Geese, Scarts, Kittiwakes, Eider Ducks, Teal Ducks, etc.; but as the breeding season came on they left.

"In March a pair of Shielducks visited the island, and after remaining a few days, left, returning again in April (presumably the same pair), and after nesting and having two young ones, the four left in August. No Teal nor Eiders bred here this season.

"In June a large flock of Pictarnies, a few Stonechicks, Ringnecks (?), Sand Larks, and Twites came to the island (but not in such large numbers as in former seasons). Wind from south to west. They left with their young in August, the few I saw leaving flying in a north-easterly direction." [This is somewhat contrary to experiences, and no doubt is due to local peculiarities of the configuration of the Outer Hebrides and land communications with the mainland, but our data appear too scanty to explain this. In this case "the few Mr Georgeson saw flying in a N.E. direction," was with a wind from south to west. Possibly they do this to catch up the Skye coast, or sooner reach the shelter of the east coast of the Outer Hebrides.--J. A. H.-B.] "In June also a pair of Tysties," continues Mr Georgeson, "came to the island, and left with the young in August.