Vol. xl.] 88 
different conditions, such as a more inhabited and more 
cultivated country, where the habits easily changed. Thus 
it was merely the result of conditions which changed the 
Blackbird, Thrush, and Wood-Pigeon from a shy forest bird 
to a town bird, and that may also partly be the reason for 
the different habits of the continental and the very distinct 
British Robin. 
The Rev. F. C. R. Jourpain remarked that many 
members of the Union restricted their interests to British 
Birds and were inclined to look askance at subspecies 
generally, with the exception of one or two cases, in which 
they had personal experience of two subspecies side by side, 
such as the case of the Pied and White Wagtails or the 
Yellow and Blue-headed Wagtails. These were readily and 
universally recognized, but for consistency’s sake were 
elevated to the rank of separate species, as was done by the 
earlier writers. Although the differences between an adult 
male Mot. a. lugubris and one of M. a. alba were sufficiently 
obvious, there were, however, other subspecies which were 
not so readily distinguishable, so that even in the pages of 
the ‘Ibis’ one found “ MW. lugubris”’ recorded as plentiful 
in Mesopotamia (‘ Ibis,’ 1914, p. 390) by a good field- 
naturalist, some 2000 miles east of its normal range! 
Similarly, the Yellow Wagtails from the Caspian approach 
very closely to our British race, and it was not possible to 
pronounce on the validity of a subspecies without having a 
series of all the known forms before one. To come to a 
final decision on a point of this kind, when one was only 
acquainted with the two forms which occur locally, was 
only a sign of ignorance. Speaking from personal experi- 
ence, the speaker had noticed that English field-workers, 
though deeply prejudiced against the principle of recognizing 
subspecific races, nevertheless were quick to appreciate 
these differences in life, and the characteristics of the 
Sontinental Robin and Stonechat were at once noted when 
the birds were first met with in the field. 
The fact was that the study of local races could only be 
