British Birds. 
viii. 
The difficulty of arranging and tabulating the various species which have been recorded as 
‘British,’ is much greater than any one who had not essayed the task would believe, and it is 
scarcely possible that any two Ornithologists will entirelyjagree on the subject. I have, th trefore, 
ventured, entirely on my own authority, to place before my readers, a synopsis of the British 
species as chronicled up to the present time, and I have assigned to them what I believe to be 
their constituent worth with regard to their membership of the British Avifauna, so that there 
is room for ample discussion on the subject. 1 propose to arrange the British Birds under 
the following heads : — 
I.— SPECIES TO BE REJECTED (3). 
The evidence in the cases of Melanocorypha calandra , Pycnonotus capcnsis and Turnix 
sylvatica , seems to be utterly untrustworthy, and the species should be dropped out of all future 
lists of British Birds. The occurrence of the Orphean Warbler is also not satisfactorily proven, 
but as several Warblers from the south have undoubtedly reached Britain, it is as well to leave 
Sylvia orpheus in the list for the present. There are several other species, like Ross’s Gull, 
the Swallow-tailed Kite, Purple Martin, etc., which are included on evidence quite as slender. 
The Polish Swan (Cygnus immutabilis), is considered to be a domestic variety of C. oloi'. 
II.— SPECIES WHICH HAVE PROBABLY ESCAPED FROM CONFINEMENT (14). 
1 Agclams phceniceus. 2 Scolecopliagus carolinus. 3 Stiirnella magna. 4 Serinus canaria 
(Wild Canary). 5 Munia atricapilla, 6 Bernicla canadensis. 7 JEx sponsa. 
8 Chenalopex agyptiaca. 9 Cairina moschata. 10 Chionis alba. 11 Porphyrio 
cceruleus. 12 Porphyrio porphyrio. 13 Cygnus buccinator. 14. C. americanus. 
That some of the above occurrences are those of escaped birds, no reasonable doubt 
can be felt ; but in the case of the three species of the North American Plang-nests, it is 
quite possible that they were migrants blown out of their course to the eastward, and, if 
this be conceded, they can be reckoned with the ‘Occasional Visitors from the West’ 
mentioned below. On the other hand, some of the latter, such as Turdus migratorius , and 
Ectopistcs migratofia might be added to the category of those species which have, in all 
probability, escaped from confinement. 
III.— INDIGENOUS SPECIES (138.) 
1 Trypanocorax frugilegus. 2 Corvus corax. 3 Corone corone. 4 C. comix, 5 Colceus 
monedula. 6 Garrulus glandarius. 7 Pica pica. 8 Graculus graculus. 9 Sturnits 
vulgaris. 10 JJgurinus chloris. 11 Coccothraustes coccothraustcs. 12 Fringilla 
coslcbs. 13 Chrysomitris spin us. 14 Carduelis carduelis. 15 Cannabina flavirostris. 
16 C. cannabina. 17 C. rufcscens. 18 Passe ; domesticus. 19 Passer montanus. 
20 Loxia cinvirostra. 21 Pyrrhula europcea. 22 Emberiza schceniclus. 23 E. 
citrinella. 24 E. drills. 25 Miliaria miliaria. 26 Alauda arvensis. 27 Lullula 
arborea. 28 Motacilla lugubris. 29 M. melanopc. 30 Anthus pratensis. 31 A. 
obscurus. 32 Certhia familiaris. 33 Sitta ccesia. 34 Pants major. 35 P. cceruleus. 
36 P. britannicus. 37 P. dresseri. 38 P. salicarius. 39 Lophophanes enstatus. 40 
JEgithalus vagans. 41 Calamophilus biarmicus. 42 Regains regulus. 43 Mehzophilus 
undatus. 44 Merula merula. 45 Tardus musicus. 46 T. visavorus. 47 Enthacus 
rubecula. 48 Pratincola rubicola. 49 Tharrhaleus modularis. 5 ° Cinclus aquaticus. 
51 Anorthura troglodytes. 52 A. hirtensis. 53 Gednusviridis. 54 Dendrocopus major. 
55 D. minor. 56 Alccdo ispida. 57 Asia otus. 58 A. accipitrinus. 59 Syr mum aluco. 
60 Strix flammea. 61 Pandion haliaetus. 62 Circus cyaneus. 63 C. aritgtnosus. 
64 Accipiter visits. 65 Butco buteo. 66 Aquila chrysaetus. 67 Haliaetus albictlla. 
68 Milvus milvus. 69 Falco peregrin us. 70 Cerchneis tinnunculus. 71 Phalacrocorax 
carbo. 72 P. graculus. 73 Dysporus bassanus. 74 Anser anser. 75 Cygnus olor. 
76 Tadorna tadorna. 77 Spatula clypcata. 78 Anas boscas. 79 Chaulelasmus strep eras. 
80 Mareca pcnelopc. 81 Ncttion crecca, 82 Nyroca ferina. 83 Fuligula fuligula. 
84 Somateria mollissima,. 85 CEdcmia nigra. 86 Mergansc?' merganser. 87 M. serrator. 
88 Ardea cinerea. 89 \Botaurus stellaris], 90 [Otis tarda], 91 CEdicncmus cedacnemus. 
