THE WINTER BIRDS OF PASSAGE have more points of resemblance among themselves than those of the former division. They chiefly belong to the tribe of water-fowls. None of them arc insectivorous, and very few are grani vorous. They chiefly frequent the creeks and sheltered bays of the sea, and the inland lakes, or they obtain their food in marshy grounds, or at the margins of springs. When the rigours of the season are over, and when other birds which are stationary are preparing for incubation, these take their departure, to be again succeeded by our summer visitants.
We have stated generally, that our summer and winter birds of passage visit us at stated seasons or the year ; that thefkummer visitants arrive in spring and depart in au tumn ; and the winter visitants arrive in autumn and de part in spring. But the different species do not all observe the same periods of arrival and departure. Thus, among the summer birds of passage, the wheat-ear always pre cedes the swallow, while the swallow arrives before the martin, and the martin before the handrail or corucrake. Among the winter birds of passage, similar differences in the time of arrival are observable. Thus the woodcock precedes the fieldfare, and the fieldfare the redwing. The time of departure has not been observed with so much attention, as the subjects have then lost their novelty, so that we do not so readily perceive their absence. It is pro bable, however, that in their departure, as well as their arrival, each species has its particular period.
The periods of arrival and departure, even in the same species, do not always take place at exactly the same day, or even month of the year. In different years these vary from one to rout weeks, and evidently depend on very ob vious circumstances. The meanest rustic, in regard to the summer birds of passage, is aware, that cold weather prevents the-arrival of these messengers of spring ; and that the early arrival of our winter birds of passage indi cates a proportionally early winter. The same circum stances which retard our summer visitants also check the progress of vegetation. Hence, in all probability, we might be able to prognosticate the arrival of these birds, by at tending to the time of the leafing or !lowering of particu lar trees or plants. As the state of vegetation depends on the temperature of the season, and the life of insects on the state of vegetation, we may safely conclude, that the movements or the phytivorous and insectivorous birds must be dependant on these circumstances.
Linn us bestowed some attention on these connected circumstances, in his Calendar of Flora for Sweden ; and Stillingfleet in that of England. Linnaeus observed, that the swallow returned to Sweden when the bit d-cherry came into leaf, and when the wood-anemone flowered. He also found the arrival of the nightingale accompanied with the leafing of the elm. Stillingfleet says, that the swallow re turns to Norfolk with the leafing of the hazel, and the nightingale with the leafing of the sycamore. It has also been observed, that the cuckoo sings when the marsh marigold blows. It would tend greatly to increase our knowledge of this subject, were observations of this sort multiplied. \Ve earnestly recommend the subject to the attention of the practical naturalist.
having thus offered a few observations on the periods of arrival and departure of migrating birds, let us now en quire after the refaces from whence they come, and to which they return. In doing this, it will be proper to bestow some attention on those birds whose migrations are only partial, and which merely shift from one part of the island to ano ther. The movements of these birds, though confined within narrow bounds, are probably regulated by the same laws which with other species produce more extensive mi grations.
In the inland districts of Scotland, the lapwing makes its appearance about the end of February or the beginning of March, and, after performing the purposes of incubation, hastens to the sea-shore, there to spend the winter, pick ing up. the small crustacea from among the rejectamenta of the sea. These birds seldom however remain all winter on the Scottish shores, though they are always to be found at that season on the southern English shores. In that part of the island they do not perform such extensive migra tions, but may with propriety be considered as resident birds. The curlew arrives at the inland districts along with the lapwing, and they depart in company about the begin ning of August. The curlew, however, remains on the Scottish shores during the winter. The oyster-catcher, though it breeds in Scotland, retires to the English shores during the winter, and joins those which have remained there during the breeding season. The black•headed gull breeds both in England and Scotland ; but it retires from the last mentioned country, while it continues resident in the former.