. Siberia in Europe: a visit to the valley of the Petchora, in north-east Russia; with descriptions of the natural history, migration of birds, etc . now and then a thrush was heard; and once aheion screamed as it passed by. The night was starlessand the town was invisible; but the island looked like theoutskirts of a gas-lighted city, being sprinkled over withbrilliant lanterns. Many of the larks alighted on theground to rest, and allowed the Heligolanders to pass theirnets over them. About three oclock a heavy thunder-storm came on, with deluges of rain; a few breaks in theclouds reveal
. Siberia in Europe: a visit to the valley of the Petchora, in north-east Russia; with descriptions of the natural history, migration of birds, etc . now and then a thrush was heard; and once aheion screamed as it passed by. The night was starlessand the town was invisible; but the island looked like theoutskirts of a gas-lighted city, being sprinkled over withbrilliant lanterns. Many of the larks alighted on theground to rest, and allowed the Heligolanders to pass theirnets over them. About three oclock a heavy thunder-storm came on, with deluges of rain; a few breaks in theclouds revealed the stars; and the migration came to anend or continued above the range of our vision. The conclusion I came to after my Heligoland experi-ence was that the desire to migrate was an hereditary HELIGOLAND. 259 impulse, to which the descendants of migratory birdswere subject in spring and autumn, which has duringthe lapse of ages acquired a force almost, if not quite,as irresistible as the instinct to breed in spring. On theother hand, the direction in which to migrate appears to beabsolutely unknown to the young birds in their first VIEW OF HELIGOLAND. and has to be learnt by experience. The idea that theknowledge of where to migrate is a mysterious gift of Nature,the miraculous quality of which is attempted to be con-cealed under the semi-scientific term of instinct, appearsto be without any foundation in fact. It appears that eachindividual bird has to find out its proper winter quarters for 26o SIBERIA IN EUROPE. chap. xx. itself, and learn the way thither as best it may. That birdshave keen organs of sight is a fact well known to all whohave watched them obtaining their food or eluding theirenemies. That they must have wonderful memories forplace is shown by the distance they roam from their nests,and the concealed spots in which they seem to have no diffi-culty in finding them again. Amongst true migratorybirds, that is amongst birds which have a winter as well
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1880
