66 Dalgleish on North American Birds in Europe. 



Longchamps, in the " Memoires de la Societe Royale des Sciences 

 de Liege," Vol. IV, April, 1846, entitled, " Sur les Oiseaux Ameri- 

 cains admis dans la Faune Europeenne," in which he has severely 

 criticised the then existing records, and deleted therefrom the fol- 

 lowing 'seventeen species, whose authenticity seemed not to be sub- 

 stantiated : Strix nehulosa, Setophaga ruticAlla, Corvus sfermolegiis 

 [americanus X), Jtmco hyemalis, Spiza ciris, Passerella iliaca, Sylvi- 

 cola noveboracensis, Sitta canade7isis, Parns bicolor, Meleagrix galli- 

 pavo, Ortyx virginiana, Ciconia americana, Ardca herodias, Ardea 

 cayennensis, Anser canadensis. Anas sponsa, and Cairina moschata. 

 He also places in the same category the names of ffaliaefus leuco- 

 cephalus, Loxia leucoptera, and Ha,rporhynchus rufus, of which I 

 find sufficient evidence, in later records, to place in the list of un- 

 doubted occurrences. 



The number of species admitted by him in 1846 of those whose 

 appearance in Europe seemed confirmed, after deducting Larus 

 sabinii and Larus rossii, which rather belong to those circumpolar 

 species common to both continents, is only eighteen, while it will 

 be observed that, not including the nine species mentioned below 

 as unworthy of credence, upwards of sixty-nine are there recorded, 

 of whose appearance on at least one occasion there seems at jiresent 

 no reasonable doubt. 



Into the question of migration, or the routes likely to have been 

 taken by these stragglers to European shores, I have not at present 

 presumed to enter, this subject having already been so well treated 

 of by Professor Baird, in his article in the " American Journal of 

 Science and Art," Vol. XVI, May, 1866. On this subject I would, 

 however, also call attention to an article in the " Proceedings of 

 the Zoological Society of London," by Herr H. Gatke, contained in 

 the volume for 1860, p. 105, on the occurrence of American birds in 

 Europe, and more particularly in Heligoland. This small and com- 

 paratively insignificant islet in the North Sea has of recent years, 

 as is well known, attracted considerable interest, in consequence of 

 the myriads of birds of all sorts 'which visit it from time to time, 

 on migration ; and it will be seen that those of North America, even, 

 have not failed to put in an appearance in its potato-fields, the only 

 shelter it possesses. It will be observed that upwards of fourteen 

 individuals, including twelve species, are recorded as having occurred 

 since the veteran ornithologist Gatke first took up his residence there, 

 now nearly forty years ago. Perhaps it may not be out of place 



