REVIEWS 



Addenda and Corrigenda to the Birds of Dumfriesshire. By 

 Hugh S. Gladstone (Dumfriesshire and Galloway Kat. 

 Hist. Soc). 



The substance of this pamphlet of thirty-six pages (con- 

 veniently printed in the same form as the author's book) 

 was read as a Presidential Address to the local Natural History 

 Society on October 20th, 1911. The most important of 

 these Addenda and Corrigenda, which are detailed with the 

 author's usual care and thoroughness, are referred to below. 



In his book it will be remembered that Mr. Gladstone 

 included the Marsh-Tit, but as no specimen from the countj^ 

 had been critically examined, this was a somewhat rash 

 decision. On July 20th, 1911, a black-capped tit was 

 obtained near Clonrae and submitted by Mr. Gladstone 

 to the present \\Titer, who proclaimed it to be an example 

 of the Willow-Tit. This bird was in juvenile plumage, and 

 there are a good many ornithologists who aver that in this 

 stage the Marsh- and Willow-Tits are indistinguishable. The 

 best character, viz. the glossy black " cap " of the Marsh- 

 ancl the dull sooty-black " cap " of the Willow-Tit, is of no 

 use in the juvenile plumage, where both species have dull 

 brown " caps," and the graduation of the tail-feathers is an 

 uncertain character. But I find that there is one character 

 and that a good one, by which the two species can be 

 separated : this is in the colouring of the outer webs of the 

 secondaries, which in the WilloAv-Tit is buff and distinctly 

 different from that of the inner webs, whereas in the Marsh- 

 Tit both webs of the secondaries are of the same dark brown 

 colour. I have referred at some length to this difference 

 between the two species, because it is of importance, being 

 a much more constant character than the shape of the tail, 

 and the wing- and tail-feathers are the only ones of the juvenile 

 plumage which are retained and not moulted when the bird 

 attains first winter-plumage. In the " field " too, this 

 character is useful, as the pale edging to the secondaries is 

 distinctive even in the British Willow-Tit {P. a. kleinschmidti) , 

 while in the Northern Willow-Tit {P. a. borealis), it is very 

 marked and at once catches the eye. 



Mr. Gladstone now places the Red-backed Shrike within 

 square brackets, which is wise ; he states that the Great 

 Spotted Woodpecker is increasing ; that a Glossy Ibis was 



