The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1886-04-22
about the middle Of October and after
ward proceeding steadily day and night.
TlriaA,y a. ~.

'"esAN PAooOCoiHS oVotully Otby tLu ulSuGs
Briefly stated, the southern movement
OF migrants was well established In July;
and from then to. January there was
a steady flow, a vast majority Of birds
coming to the east coast of England
across the stormy North Sea. There was
an immense rush in the middle Of Oc-
toberand till the end Of the month. On
the, east coast Of Scotland the heaviest
rushes were recorded in the middle of
November = a movement in opposite
directions was observed in the North
Sea in the autumn and spring Of 1s84.5.
Blscltbifdss crossed the North Sea in ex-
traordmary numbers in September and
0ctoberf1994. On the night of October
4, the time Of the total eclipse Of the
moon, during the hours Of greatest dark
ness, goldcrests were striking the liant
ern Of the Isle Of Man lighthouse. The
main body Of woodcocks arrived in two
flights. They migrated during the
night. Supposing, therefore, that these
birds left the coast of Denmark at 2.
NJ. and travelled across Heligoland, so
as to arrive (as they did) at Nash at $3.50
O'Clock next morning, their rate of prog
ress would be about tifty-two miles an
hour. There was an unusually extensive
migration Of gulls to the Scottish coast
in 1884 in connection with vast swarms
of garvies (culpea sprattus). This
marked aggregation of gulls on the above
coasts has been attributed to the vast
accumulation of ice west of Spitzbergen
in the summer Of 1884 and the conse-
quent lowering of the temperature of
thesea, which had impelled the fish food
along the course Of the mllder Gulf
Stream. One Of the most interesting
migratory features of the year was the
large arrival Of pied hycatchers along
the whole Of our east coast. There was
a great arrival Of these rather rare birds
during the first week in May, 1885, at
stations between Y armouth and dPentland
Skerrles. At Marlborough they arriv-
ed in q northeast wind, accompanied by
male redstarts. The result Of this unus-
ual movement was that during the past
season paid fiycatchers were found nest
ing in various localities in England and
Scotland where they had previously never
been seen at any period of the year.
| The rare Arctic blue throat also &C.
CURED In some numbers between Sep
tember, s. and 49,. Eighty to 100 of these
4 handsome and comparatively rare birds
y locality on the Nor
folk coast on the 10Th of the above
month. There was also a large arrival
OF gold crested wrens on the east and
west coasts of'England. The migration
commenced on the 29th August, and
appeared to stop on the 10th of N ovem-
Der. 1t seems singular how these tiny
feeble looking birds are able to brave
the dangers of the stormy North Sea.
Great numbers, however-as we'll az
other species, large and small-are often
drowned when contrary winds and fogs
set In during their oversee flight. The
Woodcocks usually arrive on our coasts
IN two large and ranging flights, known
as the first tiight'' and the 'sgreat
flight" Owing to comparatively mild
weather, the immigration of this species
IN the autumn Of 1884 was more pro-
longed than in preceding years. The
'great fight, from October 10 to Nov
ember 13 extended froqml from the Nash East
Lighthouse, in the Bristol Chanrrght;- 10 70
Pentland Skerries, in the north Of Scot
land. The migration of this pecies
continued over 142 days.