PREFACE Vll. 



This latter bird is put under the word extinct, as it is 

 highly improbable it will ever regain its former status. 



Many of the birds, which might also come under the 

 same word, such as the Crane, Bustards, Cream-coloured 

 Courser, &c., are likely to become occasional visitors, 

 although comparatively extinct in the county. 



The American Bobin, Northern Mocking-bird and 

 American Screech Owl, are included in the accidental 

 visitors. 



The following birds, although having been procured in 

 Kent, are excluded from the Kentish birds proper, viz. : 

 Whydah Finch, Bainham ; Bed-billed Whydah bird, 

 Lydd ; Crimson Weaver bird, Lydd. To retain these 

 among the Kentish birds would be quite as consistent 

 as retaining the Gold-vented Bulbul of Cape Colony, 

 which Mr. Harting still adds to his "rare and accidental 

 visitors." 



The Pelican, Black Swan, Summer Duck and Vir- 

 ginian Colin, have been procured in Kent, but sufficient 

 evidence of their having escaped from captivity is given, 

 therefore these have been omitted. 



It may be noted that those birds which can swim 

 have a greater chance of reaching the coast of England 

 and Europe, but in the case of delicate, small birds, there 

 is no doubt that they take refuge and rest on the nu- 

 merous large vessels continually traversing the Atlantic 

 Ocean, hence their discovery on our shores. 



There is one very extraordinary circumstance which 

 deserves notice, that a very large number of the rare seed- 

 eating and other birds should have been found on the 

 Sussex coast, and there is some suspicion that most of 

 these birds have been introduced ; none of these birds 

 having been observed in Kent although an adjoining 

 county. 



