440 The zoologist. 



and eight casual visitors have been found nesting in isolated 

 instances. 



Under the heading " Collections of Birds in Devonshire," we 

 have an account of all that are noteworthy both in public insti- 

 tutions and private collections, as well as four others, which 

 though originally found in Devonshire are not now in the county, 

 but are preserved elsewhere. These are — the collection of Col. 

 Montagu in the British Museum, Dr. Woodford's collection in 

 Taunton Castle Museum, Mi-. Horner's collection in the Frome 

 Literary Institution, and Mr. Murray Mathew's • collection at 

 Buckland Dinham. 



Perhaps the most interesting section of the " Introduction " 

 is that which is headed " Lines of Migration," and which is illus- 

 trated by two maps, one showing the direction from which the 

 principal streams of birds arrive from the European continent in 

 autumn ; the other showing the remarkable manner in which the 

 migratory streams cross each other, but all concentrating on the 

 south-western peninsular of England. Thus we get an explana- 

 tion of how northern and southern races of the same species 

 reach us. We have large and small Wheatears, Crossbills, Bing 

 Plovers, Dunlins, &c, which no doubt come from different 

 countries, it being now well known that birds of wide distribution 

 are subject to great variation of form. 



The Introduction concludes with a list of books and articles on 

 Devonshire ornithology which have been consulted by the writers 

 of the present work. These are twenty-eight in number, com- 

 mencing with an excursion to Dartmoor in 1795, and ending with 

 Mr. Pidsley's volume published only last year. 



With the mass of information contained in the body of the 

 work (pp. 1 — 442) we have not space to deal critically. It must 

 suffice to observe that under the English name of each species, 

 followed by its scientific designation and the provincial or local 

 names, where such exist, we find an exact indication of its 

 position in the county ornis, and, in the case of the rarer species, 

 a summary of the records relating to its occurrence. 



The nomenclature and arrangement which have been followed 

 are those adopted by the Committee of the British Ornitholo- 

 gists' Union in the list of British birds known as the ' Ibis List,' 

 published in 1883. Although the authors have thought it 

 desirable to follow this list, they state (Introd. p. xiv) that " it 



