in, Gi^eat Britain during the Nesting -season. 3 



My friend Mr. Alfred Newton has constantly assisted me 

 with his advice and criticism, and I have also to return my 

 warmest thanks to Mr. H. C. Watson, who has been repeatedly 

 consulted in the preparation of this paper, and who has kindly 

 allowed the accompanying map to be borrowed from the ' Cybele 

 Britannica/ 



The Latin names here used are taken from Mr. G. R. Gray^s 

 ' British Museum Catalogue of the Eggs of British Birds' (1852) ; 

 the order followed is that of Yarrell. Roman numerals represent 

 the larger eighteen districts or " Provinces," and Arabic figures 

 the thirty-eight smaller " Subprovinces," as laid down on the 

 map. When a figure is enclosed in brackets, it is intended to 

 show that the bird has been known to nest in the district, but 

 has not done so of late years. The smaller Arabic figures in- 

 dicate a greater degree of rarity, or that the bird has been ascer- 

 tained to breed in the district only occasionally. 



The " Types of Distribution " afford a convenient formula for 

 grouping the different species, according as they appear to pre- 

 vail in the South, North, South-east, or South-west of Great 

 Britain. Thus, 



"British type" includes birds which are tolerably general 

 throughout Great Britain, though some of them become 

 scarce or wanting in the north of Scotland. 

 " English type " comprises birds more abundant in the south, 



and which do not reach far north in Scotland. 

 " Germanic type," birds which have their head-quarters in the 

 south-east of England, and become scarce as we advance to 

 the north and west ; for example, the Nightingale. 

 " Atlantic type" birds which are more abundant on the western 

 side of Great Britain, or which have their head-quarters in 

 the south-west of England. 

 " Scottish type," birds more abundant in Scotland than in Eng- 

 land, and which become less numerous as we advance south. 

 " Highland type," mountain species, e. g. Snow Bunting, Golden 

 Eagle, and Dotterel. 



The following are the particulars of Mr. Watson's " Provinces " 

 and " Subprovinces," together with the names of the friends 



B 2 



