The mystery of how birds, especially the young, find their way in migration has fascinated students since the earliest times. The quite natural though purely anthropomorphic conclusion of early scholars was that the old birds led the young on migration. This attractive idea persisted long after ornithology began to grow into a science. The classic theory was restated by Palmén (1876:267), in one of the first thorough reviews of the subject of migration, as follows: "Directe Beobachtungen in der Natur ergeben, dass die Schaaren von ziehenden Vögeln allgemein ältere und stärkere Individuen als Anführer des Zuges haben." Variously modified, this view continued to crop up for some time and still found support in the 1890's (see Dixon, 1892:69). Gätke (1895:101) correctly questioned the credibility of Palmén's "direct observations." With the gradual abandonment of the unsupportable classic theory, diametrically opposed views were adopted by workers on opposite sides of the Atlantic. The American stand was ably expressed by Brewster (1886), who went to great pains to state his case and give evidence, and who was later supported by Allen (1896:144-147; 1909:17). The Americans held that adult birds nearly always preceded the young in migration, and this was based on much evidence, whether or not correctly interpreted. Dwight (1900:127) also gave evidence in favor of this theory. Equally definite, if, as has later been shown, somewhat vaguely documented, was the famous work of Gätke (1895:see pp. 100-113), who after many years' observation of migrant birds in Heligoland concluded the exact opposite, that young in general precede adults (see critiques of Allen, 1896:144-147; Wiegold, 1926:5). Gätke's dissenting opinion was for a time supported enthusiastically by British workers (Gurney, 1923:579-580). As so often happens, neither extreme has withstood the test of time, and more recent summaries (Meinertzhagen, 1930:55-56; Thomson, 1926, 1936:488-489; Wiegold, 1926) have tended to compromise. Many exceptions to Gätke's extreme conclusion have been detected. Exceptions to the Brewster-Allen stand have also been discovered, although work along these lines on the American side has lagged somewhat. Rowan (1926) has given further evidence on the migration of certain shorebirds, and some evidence has accrued in relation to particular species and groups as a result of life-history and banding studies (see Pitelka, 1946). Authors of major works on migration, however, have either been preoccupied with other phases of migration or avoided the issue. In an able study (one of several on related subjects) of the composition by sex and age of migrant populations in north Germany, Drost (1935:177) did not go into the question of order on migration.