LOST BRITISH BIRDS. 



THE species described as Zos in this paper, are those which 

 were summer residents and breeders, or inhabitants all the 

 year round, of some part of Great Britain, but which no 

 longer breed in this country and visit our shores only as rare 

 stragglers, or, bi-annually, in their migrations to and from 

 their breeding areas on the continent of Europe. In other 

 words, if the British race be extinct the species is here 

 regarded as lost, however abundant it may be elsewhere. 

 Perhaps it would be safer to say if practically extinct ; since 

 I have included species of which one or two pairs are still 

 known to breed within the kingdom. In the case of the 

 ruff and reeve, for instance, Professor Newton is inclined to 

 think that I have been a " little premature." Taking the 

 word " lost " in this restricted sense, I do not think that 

 ornithologists will find that I am very much out in my list, 

 which I have been assisted in making by two friends, both 

 authorities in questions of this kind Mr. J. E. Harting, and 

 Professor Newton himself. It is certainly difficult to know 

 where to draw the line, and having once determined to 

 include species that are practically extinct, like the hen- 

 harrier and the ruff and reeve, there were others, like the 

 osprey and sea-eagle, which it seemed unreasonable to omit. 

 But it was necessary to draw the line somewhere, and it 

 was thought best to leave out any species represented by 

 at least three or four pairs that have some measure of 

 protection afforded to them when breeding. 



M367742 



