LARID®. 629 
are either continual residents or regular migrants. 
The list of British birds, according to the last 
‘Zoologist List’ published by Mr. Newman, con- 
tained as many as 395 species, and since that time 
I see a few others have made their appearance in 
these islands: we may therefore now count at least 
400 species of British birds; I have not been able 
to claim much over half for Somerset. No doubt to 
make up the 400 many have been included which 
have very little right to a place in the British list, 
only single specimens having occurred; but-these 
single-specimen birds seem from time to time to add 
to the number of their appearances, as scarcely an 
annual volume of the ‘ Zoologist’ is published 
without some addition of this sort taking place, 
as in the case of the Egyptian Vulture. Though 
interesting in many ways, these rare visitors are not 
the birds whose protection or destruction ¢an be 
considered of much consequence in a utilitarian 
point of view, but the constant residents and re- 
gular migrants, which we can number by thousands, 
such as some of the Finches, the Thrushes, the 
Warblers, the Tits, the Swallows, the Crows, and 
the Pigeons: these are the birds for the destruction 
of which Sparrow Clubs, poisoned grain and peti- 
tions to landlords are set on foot. How little 
cause there is for such wholesale slaughter, and how 
far the birds are either rightfully or wrongfully 
accused, I hope I have in many cases made apparent 
3H3 
