124 The I? ish Naturalist. June, 



remain a practical necessity for all ornithologists to be familiar with the 

 order followed in that work — as well as with that adopted by Mr. 

 Saunders ; and while this is so, they can experience no great difficulty 

 in consulting books in which either of these two orders is adhered to. 

 Mr. Harting, in his introduction (pp. xv.-xix.), gives reasons for his 

 retention of the older system— amongst others, that he cannot bring 

 himself to accept a classification which sets the Swallows and Swifts far 

 apart, when he believes them to be closely related. 



Since there are so many reasons why Mr. Harting's book is sure to be 

 largely consulted, it is the more deeply to be regretted that his informa- 

 tion on Irish ornithology is by no means up-to-date. It is obvious on 

 the most cursory glance that a great part of the book was written with- 

 out any reference to Mr. Ussher's recent volume ; and from internal 

 evidence it can easily be gathered that the first 127 pages (Part I. to end 

 of Colnmbcc) had unfortunately been printed off before "The Birds of 

 Ireland" had appeared. Nor are the deficiencies confined to the birds 

 dealt with in those pages, for though Mr. Ussher is quoted with regard 

 to the Black Grouse and other Galli7nc, we suspect that from this point 

 to end of Limicolcc the proof-sheets had to be somewhat hurriedly 

 altered to suit printers' exigencies ; and it is only in dealing with the 

 ducks and sea-fowl that Mr. Harting has been able to avail himself fully 

 of Mr. Ussher's work, with the result that we find very few inaccuracies 

 in that part of his volume. 



While allowing that the want of Mr. Ussher's excellent book was a 

 serious disadvantage, it is still impossible to acquit Mr. Harting of some 

 carelessness in his consultation of the records that were available to him. 

 We particularly regret to see that his references to Mr. More's well- 

 known " List of Irish Birds " are all to the frst edition of that publication 

 (1885). The second edition, published in 1890, is mentioned in the biblio- 

 graphy ; but Mr. Harting has, nevertheless, omitted to consult it. He 

 has thus failed to discover that the Lapland Bunting, which he describes 

 as " unknown in Ireland," occurred at the Fastnet Lighthouse in October, 

 1S87. From the same source he might also have learnt that the Pied 

 Flycatcher has been obtained in this country considerably oftener than 

 he supposes. Of the eight examples now known to have occurred, five 

 were particularized by More in 1890 — and Mr. Harting mentions only 

 two. 



The Woodchat Shrike, Bartram's Sandpiper, and Sociable Plover, are 

 three species whose occurrences in Ireland, besides that of the Lapland 

 Bunting already noted, Mr. Harting ignores in the text of his work. 

 The omission of the Sociable Plover is, however, acknowledged as an over- 

 sight in the Introduction (foot-note to p. ix). The occurrence of the 

 Woodchat was chronicled in the Ibis for January, 1899 (p. 158). Of the 

 two Irish occurrences of Bartram's Sandpiper, one was recorded in More's 

 "List of Irish Birds," 1 and the other in the Irish Naturalist for June, 



1 Mr. Harting may have considered the antecedents of this example 

 doubtful. 



