25S Mr. H. T. Mennell's report upon the 



very useful and important habit of mind to the naturalist, but 

 it must not prevent him from accepting reasonable evidence. 

 On the whole we come, after very careful consideration, to the 

 conclusion that few collections would better stand the test of 

 investigation than this one. 



We will now proceed to note the rarer and more interesting 

 species killed in Surrey, taking them in the order of the catalogue, 

 extracts from which are in all cases given in quotation marks : — 



Case 16. Black Eedstart, Ruticilla titys (or tithys). — " Killed 

 in Ockford Eoad, Godalming, when the ground was covered with 

 snow, in 1855." This bird is a summer visitant to Central 

 Europe, and occurs not very unfrequently on the south coast of 

 England in winter ; it has, however, occasionally been known to 

 nest in Britain. 



17. Blue-throated Wabbler, Cyanecula suecica. — " Killed at 

 Wandsworth, Surrey, May, 1862." This specimen has the white 

 blotch on the throat, and is therefore the bird known as Cyanecula 

 leucocyanea. This form has very rarely been met with in 

 Britain. 



17 A. Another specimen, in full plumage. — " Killed at Guild- 

 ford Castle; presented to Mr. Stafford by Mr. W. Bridger." 

 According to Harting, there are three forms of this bird, which 

 have all received different names : — (1st). Cyanecula suecica, the 

 eastern and northern form, with a red spot in the centre of the 

 blue. This is the form that has usually occurred in Britain. 

 Harting, in his ' Handbook of British Birds,' from which I take 

 these particulars, records about a dozen instances of its capture, 

 widely distributed over the island. (2nd). Cyanecula leucocyanea, 

 the western and southern form, with a white spot in the centre 

 of the blue. This is the ordinary Dutch and German form, and 

 might therefore be expected to be the commoner visitant here. 

 Of this form, however, Harting only records one occurrence, 

 viz., in the Isle of Wight, 1865 to 1867 (resident all that time). 

 (3rd). Cyanecula wolfi, which has the entire throat blue. This 

 is the rarest form in collections ; it is said to be more common 

 in Eussia. Some authors, however, regard the birds with the 

 wholly blue throat as merely sports or chance varieties of the 

 white-spotted form, and the specific name C. ivolfi is by some of 

 these given to the latter, including under it both the white- 

 spotted and wholly blue forms. 



30. Pair of Fire-crested Wrens, Eegulus ir/nicapillus. — No 

 locality given in catalogue. Shot by W. C. Stafford, son of the 

 collector. These birds should be carefully examined and 

 identified. 



88. Theush-like Warbler or Great Eeed Warbler, Salicaria 

 anindinacea. — " Shot at Ockford Pond, Godalming, in 1858, by 

 Mr. J. P. Stafford " (son of W. S.). Harting states that the nest of 



