2194 Thk Zoologist — July, 1870. 



up to the intense satisfaction of a wonder-loving public. The Avi- 

 fauna of a district should be not only rigidly restricted to birds 

 connected with the district by habitually breeding or periodically 

 feeding there, but should convey reliable information on that most in- 

 teresting subject, the geographical distribution of animals. Mr. Rodd's 

 coraraunicalions have done this, and have supplied us with a list of 

 the highest possible value. 



Mr. Rodd has, however, made a mistake in giving his list so wide a 

 range : as a list of the birds of Great Britain it is remarkably deficient 

 in recent discoveries, imperfect in detail and unsatisfactory in arrange- 

 ment: nevertheless the distinction between British and Cornish birds 

 is so clearly expressed that I have found no diflScully in confining my 

 restrictive list entirely to the latter. 



The additions in parentheses ( ) are by Mr. Rodd himself: those in 

 editorial brackets [ ] are my own. — Edward Netvman.] 



The following, although a general list of British birds, is intended 

 to show a statistical summary of the species at present included in 

 the Cornish Fauna. There are so many valuable works on British 

 Ornithology, giving in detail accurate descriptions of the plumage, 

 diuiensious and habits of our British birds, and explaining their 

 generic and specific characters, that it would be useless to repeat such 

 descriptions, or indeed to add remarks, except where particular cir- 

 cumstances admit of so doing, namely, in reference to the rarity of the 

 species, the peculiarity and locality of its capture, or the variety in 

 form, colour and dimensions which individuals have exhibited. It 

 may be remarked that the Land's End locality has been singularly 

 fortunate in rendering specimens of our rarer birds, and adding to the 

 value of the British as well as the Cornish Avifauna since attention 

 has been given to the scientific resources of the district, and which 

 may be in a great measure attributed to its extreme westerly position, 

 and other influences which climate and other causes arising from its 

 maritime and peninsular characters are calculated to aid. It must, 

 however, be noted that rich as our Fauna has been in the occurrences 

 of rare birds, we cannot boast of a large list either of land or water 

 birds remaining with us as permanent residents or migrants during 

 their seasonal visits to this county. Thus in laud birds, the Land's 

 End district is almost wholly without jays, woodpeckers and nut- 

 hatches, which may be found in more or less numbers in other parts 

 of England, and in the woodland parts of Cornwall, as permanent 



