IQ2 HISTORY OF THE EUROPEAN FAUNA. 



only migrated westward recently, and have either 

 not yet reached the British Islands, or which lead one 

 to suppose, from their British range, that they are 

 eastern forms. 



Such, for instance, is the Nightingale (Danlias 

 luscinia\ which is probably of Oriental origin, but 

 only visits England regularly in spring. There is no 

 authenticated record of its ever having migrated 

 either to Scotland or Ireland. 



The Bearded Titmouse (Panurus biarmicus) is one 

 of the eastern birds still resident in England, though 

 unfortunately it seems tcr be on the verge of extinc- 

 tion. It is unknown in Scotland and Ireland. 

 Another resident eastern species is the Nuthatch 

 (Sitta ca>sia\ but neither of these is probably of 

 Siberian origin. 



The majority of the European Reptiles are probably 

 of eastern origin. Among our British species, the 

 Common Viper (Pelias berus\ for example, is a 

 typically eastern form. It is almost unknown in 

 Southern Europe proper that is to say, in Italy, 

 the Balkan peninsula, and the Mediterranean Islands, 

 but its range extends in the west as far as Spain, and 

 in the east right across the Asiatic continent to 

 Japan. It is well known that the Viper occurs in 

 Scotland, and that neither it nor any other snake is 

 found in Ireland. There is a legend, indeed, that 

 snakes did once exist in Ireland and were banished 

 from the island by St. Patrick, but unfortunately 

 we have no historical evidence that such an 



