PREFACE. Vll 



trust, that now attention is invited to the subject, other ornithologists 

 will ascertain and report to the ' Zoologist' the occurrence of this 

 bird as one of our regular migrants ; and at the same time I would 

 beg to solicit a more minute description of the specimen, in order that 

 ornithologists generally may satisfy themselves of the identity of the 

 species. 



The third addition to our birds is the American White-winged 

 Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera), a single specimen of which has occurred 

 in Dorsetshire (Zool. 2300), the bird previously known by this name 

 being the Two-barred Crossbill of Europe (Loxia bifasciata of Nils- 

 son). The North-American species can only be considered an acci- 

 dental visitor. 



I have generally refrained as much as possible from expressing 

 approbation of particular contributions, — and where they are so nu- 

 merous, so interesting, and so highly important in a scientific point of 

 view T , as in the present volume, the enumeration of valuable papers 

 would in itself be a task of no small labour ; I cannot, however, allow 

 this opportunity to pass without expressing my warmest admiration 

 of Mr. Bury's paper on British Birds occurring in the South of Spain 

 (Zool. 1958), and Mr. Milner's observations on the Birds of Suther- 

 landshire and Ross-shire (Zool. 2014) and of St. Kilda and the Outer 

 Hebrides (Zool. 2054). T have received several contributions touch- 

 ing the early arrival of the fieldfare ; two of these have been published : 

 I beg to state that the general arrival of fieldfares took place, as usual, 

 on the 30th and 31st of October, and that I fear some mistake has 

 occurred : I consider it probable that the missel thrush, which by the 

 middle of September had collected in small flocks of from ten to 

 thirty, was mistaken for the fieldfare : in this view of the subject I am 

 supported by Mr. Henry Doubleday, and I know of no ornithologist 

 whose opinion is entitled to equal weight. 



The communications made to the Admiralty by Captain M'Quhas 

 has turned public attention to the possibility of the existence of a Sea- 

 Serpent (Zool. 2307). My own views on this subject have long been 

 known : two years have elapsed since I expressed an opinion (Zool. 



