60 J. E. HARTINO — STUDY OF NATUEAL inSTOEY 



the uncertainty of their arrival in any particular county precludes 

 their being placed with the Periodical Migrants, Amongst these 

 may be mentioned the golden oriole, the hoopoe, the waxwing, 

 the Lapland bunting, and others. 



The Rare and Accidental Visitants form a large proportion of 

 the total number of species in the British list, being at present 

 135 out of 395, or rather more than one-third of the whole. If 

 from these we exclude the gulls, tems, and petrels, many of which 

 are almost cosmopolitan in their distribution, it will be found that 

 of the remainder 48 are European, 14 Asiatic, 11 African, and 

 42 American in their origin. 



I need not dwell longer upon this portion of the subject, although 

 of considerable interest, for I have discussed it at some length in 

 the Introduction to my ' Handbook of British Birds,' which may 

 be found in the Library of this Society. 



You are no doubt aware of the steps which have been taken by 

 the Meteorological Society to obtain a record of periodical natural 

 phenomena ; and you have probably already perused the published 

 observations by Professor Newton addressed to that Society, and 

 entitled, " Suggestions as to the Acts of Biixls most proper to be 

 observed by Meteorologists." 



These suggestions are excellent in their way, and I do not know 

 that I can do better than enumerate the species of birds which he 

 recommends to be observed, and refer you to his remarks under the 

 head of each. 



The birds named by him are the Tawny Owl, Spotted Flycatcher, 

 Song Thrush, Fieldfare, IVightingale, Wheatear, Willow "Wren, 

 Chiff Chaff, Skylark, Chaffinch, i-!ook, Cuckoo, Swallow, Swift, 

 Turtle Dove, Partridge, Woodcock. 



The connexion between the habits of birds and meteorological 

 conditions has been insisted on by many authors, but few have 

 brought forward any facts in support of their assertions. The 

 subject is one which members of a Society like this may well in- 

 vestigate ; and, indeed, it is desirable that as many as can do so 

 should co-operate with the Meteorological Society in carrying out 

 the object in view. The birds recommended to be observed are all 

 of well-known species, and are either pretty widely distributed Lq 

 these islands, or excite pretty general interest ; while the peculi- 

 arities recommended to be observed in them are of a kind that may 

 be readily noticed by persons who possess no special knowledge of 

 ornithology, but are nevertheless accustomed to walk about with 

 their eyes and ears open. 



The class of birds, however, to which, at this season of the year, 

 I would especially direct your attention are the Periodical Migrants. 

 All our summer birds have by this time arrived, and when I state 

 that they belong to some tliirty ditt'eri'nt species at least, it will 

 be reatlily understood how mucli their presence or absence must 

 add to, or detract from, tlie appearance and beauty of a landscape. 



There is sometliing almost mystei-ious in the Avay in which we 

 find numbers of these small and delicately formed birds scattered 



