Page:The Migration of Birds - Thomas A Coward - 1912.pdf/53

Rh but moving "only within a mile or two of the coast." He contrasts island and coastwise migration; in the latter the travellers can rest at night or take short journeys during bad weather, but in the former they must await favourable conditions before attempting a perilous passage (45).

On the other hand many birds undoubtedly pass over inland localities independently of any river valley or mountain range which might indicate a route. Even such typical coast-lovers as the maritime waders constantly cross or pass through inland England. They are heard at night, or met with resting or feeding on inland waters, or their bodies are found when, on a dark night, they have collided with telegraph or telephone wires.

So long ago as 1886 Mr W. Brewster maintained that the breadth of the fly—line varied according to the character of the country which was being crossed. The migrating column, he said, might. be hundreds of miles in length, "a continuous but straggling army," which only became a "solid stream" when travelling through some narrow pass (8). This solid stream or army passage is, however, seldom observed when the birds are crossing continents, especially if they are traversing a wide area in which food is equally plentiful for miles on either side of the direction of flight. The consolidation of their numbers appears only to take place