Letters, Extracts from Cori'esjjondence, Notices, ^c. 307 



XXXII. — Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, Sfc. 

 We have received the following letter : — 



To the Editor of ' The Ibis.' 



Foidingbridge, June 1st, 1861. 



SiRj — Since my letter to you in February, which appeared in 



the last Number of ' The Ibis/ I have had an opportunity of 



inspecting- the third edition of Mr. Hewitson^s work on the 



Eggs of British Birds, and now beg to offer a few remarks, 



which, I hope, may result in the acquisition of a reliable list of 



British birds, properly so called. 



Species. 



There are figured in the 3rd edition of He witson 286 



Enumerated in 'The Ibis ' List of Desiderata 35 



321 

 But we must deduct the Snowy Owl and Bewick's Swan, as they 

 are figured in Hewitson and also occur in ' The Ibis ' List of 

 Desiderata 2 



319 

 In the ' Zoologist' List, and not occurring in Hewitson, or 'The 



Ibis' List of Desiderata, there are 34 



In the 3rd edition of Yanell, but not in the above ' Ibis,' ' Zoolo- 

 gist,' or Hewitson's Lists 5 



Noticed in ' The Ibis ' and in none of the above Lists 2 



Total number of Birds regarded as British by various authorities 360 



Now, there is no doubt that all Hewitson^s figures of eggs 

 are those of British birds, and that all the birds in ' The Ibis ' 

 List of Desiderata are really British. In order somewhat to nar- 

 row the point at issue, I will now enumerate those species which 

 occur in the ' Zoologist ' list, in the 3rd edition of ' Yarrell,' and 

 in the last two Numbers of * The Ibis,^ but which are not men 

 tioned in the 3rd edition of Hewitson, or in ' The Ibis ' List of 

 Desiderata, as amongst these must be found those which, without 

 sufficient reason, have obtained a place in the British list — some, 

 perhaps, through mistake, some on slender evidence, and some 

 in consequence of having been improperly regarded as distinct 

 species. 



The following list must also of necessity contain those spe- 



