1903. WiiviwiAMS — Red-necked Phalarope hi Ireland. 45 



In conclusion, I would like to pa)^ a tribute to the keen 

 ornithological foresight of my friend the late A. G. More 

 (whose loss to our favourite science we so much deplore) who, 

 alluding to this species, uses, in his List of Irish Birds, these 

 remarkable words : — "The Red-necked Phalarope, which breeds 

 in several parts of the west of Scotland, has not yet been 

 found in Ireland, though it might well be expected to occur." 

 Viewed in the light of this recent discovery, do not the words 

 seem almost prophetic? 



Dublin. 



REVIEW. 



BRITISH LIVERWORTS. 



A List, with descriptive notes, of all the species of Hepatics 

 hitherto found in the British Islands. By Henry Wii,i,iam 

 Lett, m.a., m.r.i.a., Rector of Aghaderg, Go. Down. Pp. x 4- 200. 

 1902, Printed for the author. 7^. ^d. 



Canon Lett, well known as an Irish brj'ologist, has given us a little 

 book that will be useful to all students of the Liverworts. The author 

 tells us that his essay is an expansion of notes made for his own use. 



The work is in reality a handbook, with full descriptions of species, 

 well printed, followed by notes on habitat, distribution, and affinities, in 

 smaller type. While following in general the style adopted in most 

 books of the kind, a number of minor departures are noticeable, none of 

 which we look on as improvements. The names of the plants are 

 frequently separated from the authority by a full stop. The contractions 

 employed in the references which follow the names are often awkward. 

 The order in which the genera are arranged does not appear to follow 

 any standard work. Nardia revohita is included in the list on account 

 of the Wicklow record, which rests on doubtful authority. The inter- 

 esting Irish variety hptodesvia of Pallavicinia hibernica is not referred to. 



In giving a brief indication of the distribution of each species, Canon 

 Lett uses the eighteen provinces of Watson for Great Britain, and for 

 Ireland the counties arranged alphabetically. Why Ireland is thus 

 favoured with a much more minute subdivision than Great Britain as a 

 work intended for all British students is not clear ; the employment of 

 the twelve districts of Cybele Hibernica would have given a more uniform 

 scale for comparison, as well as a corresponding passage from south to 

 north. The abbreviations used for the Irish counties are confusing. 



Canon Lett's " List " will serve a very useful purpose in providing the 

 bryologist with a portable handbook, and we cordially congratulate the 

 author on its production. 



R. Li,, p. 



