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The Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire and Liverpool Bay. Vol. I., 

 pp. 91-459. The Birds of Cheshire. By T. A. Coward 

 and C. Oldham. Illustrated. (Witlierby & Co.) 1910. 

 26s. net. 



These two liandsome volumes not only contain an account 

 of the vertebrate zoology of the district, but Mr. J. A. Dockray 

 has also contributed a chapter on the Dee as a wildfowl resort 

 by way of introduction to the second volume, and there is 

 also a very complete bibliography and a useful map. As a 

 whole, there is no doubt that such an account of the vertebrate 

 fauna has long been wanted, but our present concern is with 

 the ornithological section of the work alone, and as the same 

 authors published a book on the birds of Cheshire so recently 

 as 1900, it is only natural to enquire whether the writers have 

 justified by their work the appearance of the present publica- 

 tion. It is pleasant to be able to say at once, without reference 

 to the other sections, that they have done so, and the present 

 book shows a distinct advance on their former work. Of 

 course, there is naturally a good deal that is common to both 

 books, but the original work was far more than a mere county- 

 catalogue, and contained many interesting field-notes and 

 observations, and we are glad to notice that the present work 

 is not behindhand in this respect. The avifauna of Cheshire 

 is, of course, not to be compared in richness with that of some 

 of our eastern and southern counties, which meet the full 

 tide of migration, but it is redeemed from the commonplace 

 by the great range of variation in the character of the countrj^ ; 

 and the wild moorlands of Longdendale in the east, the mud- 

 flats and sand-hills of the Dee and Mersey estuaries, and the 

 meres and mosses of the central plain, all have their character- 

 istic fauna and flora. Any estimate as to the numb<}r of 

 species recorded must be somewhat unsatisfactory in 

 default of an official check-list, such as that published 

 by the American Ornithologists' Union, as so much division 

 of ojiinion exists as to the status of many forms, but, 

 roughly speaking, about 228 species are recognised by the 

 authors, in addition to several cases, such as the Wagtails, 

 Redpolls, \A^ieatear, etc., where more than one race has 

 occurred in the county. This shows a gain of some nuie 

 species since 1900. Perhaps the most interesting of these 

 are the occurrence of Schlegel's Petrel, (Estrelata neglecta 



