I900.1 Moffat. — The Birds of Irela7id. 255 



same of the House-Martin, as regards the rural districts of 

 Ireland, though of late years it has diminished in Dublin. The 

 Swift has extended its range to the west, where in Thompson's 

 time it was rare. The Jay, whose former wide range had been 

 much reduced by the destruction of woods, is spreading again. 

 The Mistle-Thrush is probably still gaining ground, and it is 

 doubtful whether the ubiquitous Magpie's increase has yet 

 been checked. 



There are other species of which it must remain open to 

 doubt whether they have actually increased or not, since it is 

 possible that they were locally overlooked in former years, 

 owing to paucity of observers. Such, among breeding birds, 

 are the Redstart, Blackcap, Garden-Warbler, Grasshopper- 

 Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, and Fork- 

 tailed Petrel. There is also the curious case of the Black 

 Redstart, once accounted a very rare straggler, while now it 

 must be ranked as almost a regular winter visitant to our 

 south coast. We cannot as yet say whether the greater 

 frequency of its recent ocurrences is real or apparent. But 

 the careful data now accumulated will make it easy to gauge 

 the increase or decrease of any of the above-named in future ; 

 and this is a great step in advance, for which Mr. Ussher is to 

 be thanked. 



The subject of distribution, which has been so fully worked 

 out, is infinitely more important in itself than any questions 

 regarding the treatment of reported occurrences of rare 

 stragglers ; and we are therefore not disparaging Mr. Ussher's 

 work in expressing ourselves at variance with him on several 

 of these minor matters. It would have been best either to 

 have banished to the Appendix every bird not absolutely 

 proved to have visited Ireland, or else to have admitted to the 

 regular list all species for whom a p7 ima facie case could be 

 made out. Instead of adopting either of these courses, Mr. 

 Ussher has drawn or accepted an arbitrary line, discarding 

 eight American birds — most of which undoubtedly occurred 

 in this country in a wild state — because they are open to 

 suspicion of having obtained ''assisted passages" on vessels ; 

 while he admits the Crested Lark, I^esser Spotted Woodpecker, 

 and I^ittle Egret, whose alleged occurrences are not vouched 

 for by any specimens whatever. As regards the exclusions, 



