l82 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTE. 

 Breeding of the Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus streperus) 



in Cliesllire. — Mr. Francis Nicholson, of Altrincham, writes us regarding 

 Mr. Oldham's record in our last, that although this species has not been recorded 

 to have nested, still it does so on all the Cheshire meres that are suited to its 

 habits ; and he cannot account for the omission of this fact in Mr. Seebohm's 

 ' British Birds,' since a number of eggs in Mr. Seebohm s collection were taken by 

 Mr. Nicholson in Cheshire. He also remarks that there is one record of the Reed 

 Warbler in Lancashire (Zool., 1843, p. 222), near Wigan, on the authority of 

 Vivian Walmsley, who mentions its appearance, but does not state whether it was 

 nesting, though, from the date, Mr. Nicholson thinks such must have been the 

 case. A few years ago Mr. Nicholson was at some trouble to snare a number of 

 these birds, to ascertain if the very closely-allied Marsh Warbler {Acrocephalus 

 paliistris) visited Cheshire, with the result that it is pretty certain it does not. — Eds. 



BOOK NOTICES. 

 'List of British. Vertebrate Animals.'— By Francis P. Pascoe. 



London : Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, 1885. Small 



8vo , cloth, pp. 85, price 4s. 

 This list (the arrangement of which accords with that of the author's previous 

 work on 'Zoological Classification') is not what we should have expected from the 

 pen of a naturalist so favourably known as the author is, and we cannot think he 

 has done himself justice in publishing it. Some of his inclusions and conclusions 

 are to us scarcely intelligible, such as the insertion of the Tortoise, the Prairie-dog 

 of Epping Forest, the Goldfish, &c. The inclusion of such thorough aliens 

 appears to us no better than the practice which the old naturalists had of including 

 the various breeds of domesticated animals in the fauna. Almost any one of 

 these would run wild and thrive were they allowed, and would have equally good 

 right to inclusion in our lists as the animals cited. The author evidently knows 

 but little of the constitution of the British avifauna, and although he is familiar 

 with the standard works on the subject, as evidenced by his introduction, he does 

 not appear to have consulted them to advantage. Thus he tells us in his intro- 

 ductory remarks that the ' names in italics indicate those animals that are not 

 regarded as truly indigenous,' and includes under this head such birds as the 

 Black Redstart, Reed Bunting {Emberiza schccniclns), Shore Lark, Golden Oriole, 

 Little Stint, Pink-footed Goose, Rough-legged Buzzard, &c., all of which are 

 regular visitors, and one even a common resident species. On the other hand 

 such truly accidental or casual visitants as the Water Pipit {A. spipoletta). Tawny 

 Pipit {A. canipcstris). Little Ringed Plover {AL. citronica). Broad-billed Sandpiper 

 (Z*. platyrhyncha), American Bittern [B. lentigi7iosiis). Ruddy Sheldrake {T. 

 I'liiila), Laughing Gull (Z. africilla), Gyr Falcon {F. gyrfalco), Greenland Falcon 

 {F. caiidica7is), Iceland Falcon {F. islandiis), and the Eagle Owl {B. maximtcs), 

 are included by him as truly indigenous. The list will, however, be to some 

 extent useful, as it is the only British list which covers the whole range of the 

 vertebrate class. 



* A Systematic List of the Butterflies of Europe.'— By Henry 



Charles Lang, M.D., F.L.S., etc., extracted from his work ' Rhopalocera 

 Europae : the Butterflies of Europe.' London: L. Reeve & Co., 1884, 4to, 

 pp. 6, price 8d. and is. 

 This list, in spite of its inconveniently large size, will be of service to lepidop- 

 terists who study the whole range of European butterflies, more especially if used 

 in conjunction with the magnificent work from which it is reprinted. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



We have pleasure in inserting in the present number some notes upon marine 

 fishes. In this department of our vertebrate fauna more good work remains to be 

 done than in any other, and it is to be hoped that naturalists living near our coast- 

 line will pay increasing attention to the subject. We shall be glad to insert 

 notes — and, so far as we are able — to assist in the identification of specim ens. 



Naturalist, 



