LITTLE CORMORANT. 183 



and Homeyer, towards making it a distinct species. In 

 the present uncertain, and I may say unsatisfactory way 

 of determining species, it would, I think, be premature 

 to call this bird anything more than a local variety of 

 the Common Shag. This is also the opinion expressed 

 to me in a private letter by M. De Selys-Longchamps. 

 It is made a variety also by Blasius, in his "Verzeichniss 

 der Vogel Europa's," published in 1861. 



With this number the list of "Birds of Europe not 

 observed in the British Isles" terminates. Since the 

 commencement of the work, however, many species 

 have been accidentally found in Europe which were not 

 then in the catalogues. Blasius, in his list, published 

 in 1861, mentions no less than thirty not figured in 

 this work which have been so observed. Many of 

 these are American species, and few of them have any 

 real claim to be included in the European ornis. 

 Most of them, however, have been noticed in the text; 

 but I propose to publish, in the form of an Appendix, 

 three more numbers to complete the volume, and to 

 select those subjects for illustration which either have 

 a prior claim, or of which authentic skins are available. 



