ANALYSIS 
CLAIMS OF CERTAIN BIRDS 
ACCOUNTED BRITISH. 
A VERY. useful attempt to put together all the recorded 
occurrences of our rarer British Birds has recently been 
made by Mr. Harting in his “Handbook of British Birds,” 
but it was not within the scope of his work to examine 
minutely into the claims upon which each individual rested. 
Believing that many of these would turn out to be purely 
imaginary, I have applied myself to this task, and I now 
present the results of my analysis of seven of them. It 
is by no means in the interest of science that fictitious 
records should be perpetuated and copied from one book 
into another,—until the original authorities being dead or 
lost sight of, it is too late to verify them. 
I intend to go on working at the subject, so I will only 
here say that if any reader should chance to be in posses- 
sion of valid disproof of any of the occurrences here given, 
I shall be greatly indebted to him to inform me of the 
same for my future use. The truth, the whole truth, and 
