52 The Field Naturalist 's Quarterly Feb. 



experiments in the artificial germination of spores and the 

 placing of these upon suitable host-plants, has shown that 

 these various spore-forms belong to the same species. Some 

 species, however, omit one or more of these spore-forms, 

 examples of which will be given later on. 



Formerly JEcidium comprised a large genus ; now it is a 

 small one, only a few species remaining that have not been 

 found to be connected with other spore-forms, and even 

 these may yet be found to belong to already known species. 



On the Claims of the Green=backed Gallinule 

 (Porphyrio smaragdonotus) to inclusion 

 in the List of British Birds. 



By Rev. M. C. H. P.ird, M.A., M.B.O.U. 



Now that some three dozen examples of the genus Porphyrio 

 (P. cceruleus and P. smaragdonotus) have occurred in the 

 British Isles since 1845, it seems that these lovely birds 

 have sufficiently shown their appreciation of our hospitable (?) 

 shores to be included in the list of rare and occasional 

 migrants, and to have the brackets and stars removed from 

 their names in our next ornithological census. As to the 

 season of their occurrences, January has afforded one ex- 

 ample, June two, July five, August ten, September five, 

 October seven, November one, and December three; of 

 two the month of capture is not recorded. August, there- 

 fore, may be taken as their great month, and 1897 the 

 year of their greatest abundance. As to their distribution, 

 three have occurred in Ireland (Kerry); three in Scotland 

 (Perth, Inverness, and Argyllshire); one in each of the 

 English counties of Essex, Surrey, and Devonshire (caught 

 off the coast) ; two in York, Somerset, Northampton, 

 Northumberland, and Hampshire ; and sixteen in Norfolk : 

 all, it will be noticed, maritime counties with the excep- 

 tion of Northamptonshire. One of the two which I have 

 mentioned from this county may probably have escaped 



