186 1] Pseudo-species and Stragglers. 147 



the literature. How lucky you bird-men are in not being" overloaded 

 with false species ! Certainly the correction of any error, whether about 

 species' identity or otherwise, is far better service than ten additions ; 

 but how much more difficult to achieve ! At this moment I have 

 knocked off some fifteen species from the I. W. Flora, and each has cost 

 treble the labour of adding one. 



Our Natural History of the Island is gone to press, and I trust will 

 be ready in another month. I shall look forward to sending you a copy, 

 to review if you choose/ Yours, 



A.G.M. 



August 6th, 1860. 



MY DEAR NEWTON, Really you are the best of correspondents. 

 Here are two letters of yours to be answered at once, and you in the 

 midst of preparation for the " grand tour." I am glad to find that you 

 have already guessed that I should not be able to accompany you. 

 Though there is nothing would give me greater pleasure, and the 

 opportunity is so tempting, it is quite out of my power to join you at 

 present. But perhaps after all, you will have the more leisure from 

 going solus, and so science will be the gainer, though, as you remark, 

 a travelling companion may lighten the way. But I do not think your 

 time is likely to hang heavily; when you are once launched into the work 

 you are sure to find in the different collections. 



Thank you again for the list of nesting birds* ; it is everything that 

 could be wished for my purpose, and I am extremely obliged to you for 

 taking so much trouble. Only one thing occurs to me ; that it might 

 be desirable to distinguish the cases where one or two pairs have cer- 

 tainly bred, from those which are only reported upon Bad authority. But 

 I hope you will let me return to the subject when you come back again 

 to England, and when I hope to have some progress to report. 



I am truly glad to hear you are to edit the next edition of Yarrell, as 

 I am sure there will be great improvements, no one being better up to 

 the latest discoveries than yourself. I wonder how you are intending to 

 deal with the stragglers. After what is said in your paper on Hirundo 

 rufula, I should expect you will be sending some more of them into 

 quarantine for the present until some more instances are recorded. 



Don't you think it would be well, when speaking of the general range 

 of each species, to try and distinguish between the countries where the 

 bird is indigenous and those which it visits at any regular or irregular 

 period ? It seems to me that all the places, wherever the bird has been 

 found, are just set down without any attempt at arrangement in the 

 present "Yarrell." 



Wishing you every success in your investigations, believe me yours 

 very sincerely, 

 A. G. MORE. 



* A provisional list sent him by Mr. Newton for use in his inquiry into the 

 " Distribution of British Birds in the Nesting Season." 



L2 



