viii. British Birds. 



The difficulty of arranging and tabulating the various species which have been recorded as 

 ' British,' is much greater than any una who had not essayed the task would believe, and it is 

 scarcely possible that any two Ornithologists will entirely agree on the subject. I have, therefore, 

 ventured, entirely on my own authority, to place before my readers, a synopsis of the British 

 species as chronicled up to the present time, and I have assigned to them what I believe to be 

 their constituent worth with regard to their membership of the British Avifauna, so that there 

 is room for ample discussion on the subject. 1 propose to arrange the British Birds under 

 the toUowing heads : — 



I.— SPECIES TO BE REJECTED (3). 



The evidence in the cases of Mclanocoryplia calandra, Pycnonoiiis capensis and TuDiix 

 syhiatica, seems to be utterly untrustworthy, and the species should be dropped out of all future 

 lists of British Birds. The occurrence of the Orphean Warbler is also not satisfactorily proven, 

 but as several Warblers from the south have undoubtedly reached Britain, it is as well to leave 

 Sylvia orplteiis in the list for the present. There are several other species, like Ross's Gull, 

 the Swallow-tailed Kite, Purple Martin, etc., which are included on evidence quite as slender. 



The Polish Swan [Cvgnus iininntahilis\, is considered to be a domestic variety ot C ninr. 



II.— SPECIES WHICH HAVE PROBABLY ESCAPED FROM CONFINEMENT (14). 

 I Agctdiis phaiticeus. 2 Sco/ecup/ingiis caroliniis. 3 Sluniclla magna. 4 StriiiKS canaria 

 (Wild Canary). 5 Munia atricapilla, 6 Bcniicla canadensis. 7 jEx sponsa. 

 S C/iena/iiprx irgyp/iaca. 9 Cairina inoschata. 10 Chionis alba. 11 Porphyria 

 arnilcus. \i Porphyria poiphyrio. 13 Cygniis buccinator. 14. C. amcricanns. 



That some of the above occurrences are those of escaped birds, no reasonable doubt 

 can be felt; but in the case of the three species of the North American Hang-nests, it is 

 quite possible that they were migrants blown out nf their course to the eastward, and, if 

 this be conceded, they can be reckoned with the ' Occasional Visitors from the West ' 

 mentioned below. On the other hand, some of the latter, such as Turdus migratorius, and 

 Ectopistcs migratoria might be added to the category' of those species which have, in all 

 probability, escaped from confinement. 



III.— INDIGENOUS SPECIES (138.) 

 I Trypanocora.v friigiltgns. 2 Co/i'iis corax. 3 Co7-onc corotic. 4 C. comix. 5 Culaia 

 7>ioncdiila. 6 Garrulus glandarius. 7 Pica pica. 8 Graculiis graciilus. 9 Stiintns 

 vulgaris. 10 /Jgiirinits chloris. 11 Coccoihraiistcs caccvtiiranstcs. 12 Fringilla 

 coslcbs. 13 Chrysotnitris spinas. 14 Cardnclis cardiiclis. 15 Cannabina Jlavirostris. 

 16 C. cannahina. 17 C. riifcsccns. iS Passe/ domestic/is. 19 Passer viontanus. 

 20 Loxia cuivirostra. 21 Pyrrhula ennp-nra. 11 Emberiza scha:nicli(s. 23 E. 

 citrinclla. 24 E. ci/Pas. 25 Miliaria miliaria. 26 Alaiida arvensis. 27 Liillula 

 arborea. 28 Motacilla lugubris. 29 M. mclannpte. 30 Anthns pratensis. 31 A. 

 obscnrus. 32 Certliia familiaris. 33 .Sitta C(vsia. 34 J'arns major. 35 J', ca-nilens. 

 36 /'. br/tanniins. 37 /'. dirsseri. 38 /'. .mliearins. 39 Lophnphanes cristains. 40 

 Aigitlialus vagans. 41 Calamophihis liiarmicus. 42 Kegiilns regnlus. 43 Mclizophilus 

 nnda/iis. 44 .Menila meriila. 45 Tnrdiis masicus. 46 7". viscivorus. 47 Erithaens 

 rnbecnla. 48 Pratincola rubicola. 49 Tharrhalens modularis. 50 Cinclns aqiiaticus. 

 51 Anortliura troglodytes. 52 A. hirtensis. y^ Geciniisviridis. '^\ Dendrocopns major. 

 55 D. minor. 56 Alcedo ispida. 57 Asia otiis. 58 A. accipitriniis. 59 Syrninm aliico. 

 do Strix Jiammca. 61 Pandion haliaeliis. 62 Circus cyaneus. 63 C. trruginosus. 

 64 Accipitcr nisits. 65 Buteo buteo. 66 Aquila chrysaetus. 67 Haliactus alhialln. 

 (>% Milvus milvus. 6() Falco pc?rgrinus. ■^o Cerchncis tinnuneulus. 71 Phalaerocorax 

 carbo. 72 P. graculus. 73 Dysporus bassatuis. 74 Anscr anser. 75 Cygnus olor. 

 76 Tadorna tadorna. ■]■; .Spatula clypcata. jS ylnas boscas. yg Chaulelasmusstreperus. 

 So Mareca penclope. Si Xettion crecca. 82 Nyroca ferina. S3 Fuligula fnligula. 

 84 .Somateria mollissima. 85 (Edcmia tiigra. 86 Merganser jnciganscr. 87 M. senator. 

 Sf, Ardeacinerea. 89 [liolaurus s/ellaris\ go [Otis tarda]. 91 CEdicnemus wdicnemus. 



