274 DISTRIBUTION OF THE BIRDS OF SUFFOLK. 



In the above Catalogue I have contented myself for the 

 most part with giving a list in which is noticed the dis- 

 tribution of the birds over the county, the frequency of 

 their occurrence, the months in which they have been 

 observed, and whether they have nested now or formerly. 

 A good deal has been written about the uselessness of mere 

 local ornithological histories,* but it is the opinion of some 

 of the most competent naturalists that they are of great 

 value. Professor Bell expresses himself as follows :— "It 

 may be doubted whether the study of animals of particular 

 tracts of country have not contributed, more than any other 

 means, to the advancement of zoological knowledge, 

 especially as regards those important branches of it, the 

 geographical distribution of animals and the influence of 

 climate, of soil, and of other local circumstances in determin- 

 ing the range of species, the changes of varieties, and the 

 extent and periods of migration.'' 



* Cecil Smith's Birds of Somersetshire, pref. 



