VOL. viiT.] B.O.U. LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 285 



specimens of Agrohates g. syriacus are referred to familiaris, 

 both of which cases seem to be due to carelessness. The 

 name of the Red-necked Nightjar obtained at KiUingworth 

 is given as ruficollis, apparently because in his Viigel pal. Fauna 

 Hartert referred it to the typical form, but in the Hand-List 

 to desertorum. Yet the footnote in the Hand-List (p. 97) 

 could surely not be clearer as the result of a careful examina- 

 tion of the bird and this was published in May. 1912, but 

 the page referring to the bird in the Vng. pal. Fauna was 

 closed for press in October, 1911 as is indicated on p. 849. 



There is also the case of the Black-throated and Black-eared 

 Wheatears ; these we unite as dimorphisms of the same 

 species, while the B.O.U. Committee separate them as distinct 

 species. There can, perhaps, be no absolute proof of the 

 correctness of our view until young reared from the same 

 nest are proved to be dimorphic, but the birds have the 

 same breeding range, migrate together, have the same 

 actions, habits and notes, and the eastern representatives 

 differ in the same way from the western. 



With regard to the Committee's inability to recognise 

 some of the British subspecies, we are hopeful that as they 

 have been able to appreciate the differences in such closely- 

 allied forms as the Dartford Warblers, the Willow-Warblers 

 and Chiffchaffs, the Continental and British forms of the 

 Willow-Tit, Jay and others, they will with further study 

 and with perhaps better material be able to see the differences 

 in most of the forms they reject. 



The List is provided with notes on British and General 

 Distribiition, the former being much less detailed than in 

 our Hand-List, and the latter slightly more so. No acknow- 

 ledgment whatever is given of help receiv^ed from the Hand- 

 List, although it is clear that much assistance was derived 

 from the information there collected. We are only too 

 glad, of course, to see our work made use of, but it is customary 

 to acknowledge such assistance, especially in a case of this 

 kind where great labour was involved. In a good many 

 instances the accounts in the Hand-List have not been brought 

 up-to-date, e.g. Little Bunting occurrences in 1912 and 1913 

 at the Isle of May have not been added, a third occurrence of 

 the Barred Warbler and seventh of the Wryneck in Ireland are 

 omitted, a reported occurrence of the Alpine Swift in Scotland 

 (see Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1897, p. 152) overlooked by us 

 is not referred to, a third occurrence of Tengmalm's Owl 

 in Scotland is omitted, the recent breeding of the Gadwall 

 in Caithness is not referred to, etc. Mistakes made by us 



