CONTRIBUTIONS TO AN AVIFAUNA OF BADEN. 167 



it stands, the list exceeds that of any other province of Germany ; 

 and this abundance of bird-life is due both to the varied character 

 of the surface of the Grand Duchy, and to its geographical 

 position in the centre of Europe, in proximity to the Alps, and 

 on special lines of migration. The basin of the Lake of 

 Constance is a meeting point for migratory aquatic fowl ; numbers 

 come in winter to its open waters from smaller continental lakes; 

 some accidental visitors find their way along the Danube, or from 

 the Adriatic, like the Pelican, Flamingo, or the Ibis, of which a 

 recent specimen, now in my possession, was shot in 1886, though 

 not in Baden territory. Most of the marine species — Gulls, 

 Swans, Mergansers, Scoters, &c. — must follow the Rhine Valley, 

 and among these is the Razorbill, shot by an English sportsman 

 some years ago, and, to the best of my knowledge not previously 

 recorded. The list also includes several peculiar alpine species, 

 and others from still further south — immigrants by way of the 

 Rhone, such as the flock of Bee-eaters that established itself 

 for a short time on the sunny slopes of the Kaiserstuhl. Although 

 the rarer migrants, notably raptorial, stand no better chance of 

 surviving here than in England, and though the favourite haunts 

 of others are diminishing every year, the country has special and 

 permanent attractions for ornithologists, as the literature of this 

 subject will prove ; but whoever wishes to work it out thoroughly 

 and up to date will have to consult not only Kettner and 

 Walckner, the majority of whose dates are prior to 1835 (though 

 the first-named published some interesting details much later), 

 but also scattered notes in recent standard works and current 

 journals, to say nothing of the inevitable correspondence. 

 Perhaps some resident in Baden may be induced by these indi- 

 cations to take up the task, if only in order to keep the country 

 up to the level of most other German states in this respect. I have 

 avoided all references, and am confining myself to a few personal 

 observations which terminate with the year 1889. The result is 

 little more than a catalogue of the commoner birds to be met 

 with in the neighbourhood of the capital ; and for many of threse 

 - — very many — I can find no entries, so that my only excuse in 

 presenting such an incomplete list is that it may serve to give an 

 idea of the general status of bird-life, as compared with England, 

 and of the periodical scarcity and abundance of certain species, 

 a subject that will acquire more biological value in proportion as 



