162 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
although he did not understand the change of habit. Stevenson
came to the conclusion that the alteration was not the result of
increased interest and recording. It is probable that the ultimate
reason or reasons for the altered ways of the Hoopoe in Britain
will never be fathomed, but the immediate cause of the re-
duction of numbers must be associated with the remarkable
decrease in the west of the continent of Europe. This has been
described in an article by Christian Fjerdingstad, published in
1939. This writer states that it is a fact that the Hoopoe has
become scarce in Western Europe. It has almost disappeared
as a nester from the north of France, the Scandinavian countries,
the west of Germany, and the low countries, although it still
holds out in the south-east of Sweden. About thirty or forty
years ago, nesting pairs could still be found here and there in
those countries, while in the last century it nested everywhere
in the lands from which it has now completely disappeared.
Fjerdingstad associates the decrease of the Hoopoe with the
tremendous increase of the Starling, but the cause of the de-
crease may be deeper than the influence of this bird.
A fuller understanding of the migrations of the Hoopoe,
of which little appears to be known, would enable us to under-
stand more fully its relation to Britain. It must not be over-
looked when considering migration that of the total numbers
of Hoopoes which appeared in spring, 90.5 per cent. were
recorded from England and Wales, 4.7 per cent. from Scotland,
and 4.8 per cent. from Ireland, and that of the total number
which appeared in autumn, 76.5 per cent. were reported from
England and Wales, 17.7 per cent. from Scotland, and 5.8 per
cent. from Ireland. These figures enable us to vizualize better
the parts of the area most affected by the passage of the Hoopoe.
Great Britain and Ireland may be described as being just beyond
the north-westerly limits of the breeding area of this bird, and
those which reach our shores in spring have probably overshot
the mark, and so alight as soon as they reach land. This would
account for so many appearing along our southern coasts,
and in such close proximity to the sea. The autumnal appear-
ances are not so easy to explain. It is probable that some of
the birds which reach us during this season form part of the
east to west migration. Eagle Clarke includes the Hoopoe
with the birds which participate in this movement, and which
he associates with the native birds of Central Europe. A con-
tribution to the migration of the Hoopoe, published in 1937,
gives details accompanied by a chart of all known ringing re-
coveries of this species. Eagle Clarke's views receive some
support. Twelve recoveries are described, and it is shown that