Page:The Migration of Birds - Thomas A Coward - 1912.pdf/133

Rh land had turned back. The weather charts, he adds, show no sufficient reason for the birds to have been blown out of their course by storms.

The weather charts, as I have pointed out, do not indicate the force or direction of the wind at high altitudes; I suggest that these birds were carried rather than blown out of their way by strong currents at a higher altitude than recorded on the charts, and that having left the air currents they descended to the elevation of about 700 or 800 feet at which most of them were flying when they were observed making for the land.

On the night of March 29th to 30th, 1911, the south-eastern extremity of Ireland experienced a remarkable rush of migrants, and the local papers were full of the avian disaster, for large numbers of birds struck the lights as well as buildings and other objects in inland towns. Mr Barrington collected information (4), and found that most of the birds were starlings, though thrushes, blackbirds, and redwings were numerous. He received specimens of woodcock, water-rail, snipe, dunlin, meadow pipit, wheatear, goldcrest, starling, song thrush, redwing, blackbird, black redstart, robin, Skylark, and stonechat, whilst some thirteen or fourteen other species were said to have been recognised, amongst them oyster-catcher and wild duck. The area affected lay south-east of a line drawn across