128 



The Irish Naturalist. 



December^ 



REVIEW. 



A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BRITISH ORNITHOLOGY. 



A Geographical Bibliography of British Ornithology from the earliest 

 times to the end Oi 1918, arranged under counties, being a record 

 of printed books, published articles, notes and records relating 

 to local avifauna. By W. H. Mullens, F.L.S.. M.B.O.U. ; H. 

 KiRKE SwANN, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; and Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain, 

 M.A.. M.B.O.U. London : Withcrby and Co. 



In the March number of the Irish Xaturalist (p. 26) attention was 

 drawn to the appearance of the first two parts of this important 

 bibliography, fuller notice being postponed until the whole was 

 forthcoming. As the sixth and last part is the only section concerned 

 with the ornithology of Ireland, this was clearly the proper course to 

 take. As already mentioned, the lists of books, papers and notes which 

 compose the bibliography are arranged under counties— those of England, 

 Wales, Scotland and Ireland being taken separately, but placed in 

 alphabetical order for each section. There is also at the beginning of 

 each section a list of papers dealing with the subject generally and not 

 falling under the head of particular counties. The papers appear for each 

 county in chronological order, so that every facility is afforded for a 

 bird's-eye glance at the work done for ornithology in every part of our 

 island from the days of t^iraldus Cambrensis until now. 



Simple and excellent as the plan appears, the execution (at least as 

 regards Ireland) is far less satisfactory than might have been expected. 

 The chief fault seems to lie in the want of any clearly defined plan as 

 to the kind of papers deserving of a place in the bibliography. 



The execution of the work has been apportioned by the editors to 

 different hands. Consequently, unless a clear plan has been laid down, 

 uniformity of work is not to be looked for ; and it certainly does not 

 appear. 



The Irish part of the bibliography has been divided among three 

 hands, among whom we are glad to find two such well-known Irish 

 ornithologists as Mr. C. J. Carroll and Mr. Nevin H. Foster, the third 

 being Mr. H. Kirkc Swann, one of the editors of the whole work. Mr. 

 Carroll is responsible for 15 Irish counties (scattered over the four 

 provinces), while Mr. Foster has charge of 9 (nearly all in Ulster, but 

 including Louth and leaving Cavan to Mr. Carroll), and Mr. Swann takes 

 the remaining 8, which include Dublin and most of the South. It is 

 impossible to say that Mr. Swann 's work, on any interpretation of the 

 plan laid down, has been very thorough. Having both Dublin and 

 Wicklow in his province, he has contrived to omit from his bibliography 

 Mr, Barrington's up-to-date list of the birds of those two counties 

 contributed to the liritish Association Handbook for the Dublin meeting 

 of 1908. In deaUng with Cork he omits Mr. Usshcr's " Birds of Cork,', 



