1901. Reviews. 125 



1895 (vol. iv., p. 166), The Sociable Plover, needless to say, formed the 

 subject of an interesting article in this Journal, by Mr. E. Williams, in 

 November, 1899 (vol. viii. , p. 233). 



Many other instances might be given of the way in which records of 

 rare birds obtained in Ireland have been overlooked. The author quotes 

 only one Irish occurrence of the American Robin, whereas a second was 

 recorded in this Journal by Mr. Ussher in 1896 (vol. v., p. 214). This 

 omission is the more important, since Mr. Harting, here differing from 

 both Mr. Ussher and Mr. Saunders, considers that Tardus migratorius may 

 fairly be claimed as a genuine though rare straggler to our shores. Of the 

 White-winged Black Tern only three Irish-taken examples are enumerated 

 the author omits both the specimens now in the Dublin Museum, though 

 one of these, shot at Cappagh in May, 1875, is mentioned in More's list, 

 and the other, killed at Newmarket-on-Fergus in June, 1893, is noticed 

 in the Irish Naturalist, vol. ii., p. 253. Mr. Warren is credited with having 

 obtained one Surf Scoter, instead of two, in the winter of 1896-7 (see I.N. 

 vol. vi., p. 59); the Little Bustard shot in 1S92 in Kerr)-, and seen in the 

 flesh by A. G. More, is omitted {I.N, vol.* ii., p. 56); and so are two 

 Snowy Owls recorded in this Journal (vols, ii., p. 25, and iii., p. 24). 

 These and similar oversights are the more misleading, from the fact that 

 the Irish Naturalist is frequently quoted, showing that its records have 

 been consulted in a hasty and imperfect manner. That the second Irish 

 occurrences of the Barred Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, more recently 

 published, have been ignored, may go without saying ; the former, 

 however, is noticed in its proper place in Saunders' "Manual," as well as 

 in the Irish Migration Reports. The Two-barred Crossbill shot in Co. 

 Antrim in 1867 is referred to as identical with the example recorded in 

 the Zoologist for 1868 (p. 1376), and enumerated in More's list as obtained 

 in Co. Dublin. Mr. Ussher has pointed out (" Birds of Ireland," p. 74), 

 that these were two independent occurrences, and ought not to be 

 confounded. 



Of the Mealy Redpoll, Mr. Harting omits the interesting fact that 

 several Irish specimens have been referred to the Greenland form, Linota 

 rostrala. On the other hand, he treats the " Parrot Crossbill " as a 

 distinct species, but gives only one instance of its occurrence in Ireland. 

 Yet he had seen A. G. More's record of another {Zool. } 1892, p. 76), for at 

 page 90 he cites this note as evidence that More considered the bird a 

 good species. We may add from personal knowledge that More wrote 

 the note in question without any idea of conveying such an opinion, an 

 opinion which in fact he did not hold. Mr. E. Williams has stated (Zool., 

 1891, p. 112), that the Parrot Crossbill occurred numerously in Ireland in 

 1890. 



Another bird treated in this work as a distinct species is Pallas' Grey 

 Shrike, Lanius major. Mr. Harting considers it an extremely rare visitant, 

 and quotes only four British occurrences, none of them being Irish. 

 The fact that both the Grey Shrikes in the Dublin Museum belong to 

 this race is mentioned in More's list ; the only Grey Shrike in Mr. R. M. 



