76 
INTRODUCTION. 
introduced in the south-eastern counties ; and the 
pheasant, the finest of our additions, has been 
completely naturalized ; but these will fall far 
short to compensate for the cock of the woods, 
the “ wilde horse,” the bustard, or the red-grouse, 
should the latter ultimately fail. 
The proportion in which the different orders 
occur may be interesting. According to one of 
the latest lists, including all the species discovered 
up to the end of 1836,* the whole number of 
species which have been actually killed or taken 
in Britain is 323. In this number the Raptores 
amount to 30, the Incessores to 117, the Rasores 
to 17, the Grallatores to 66, and the Natatores 
to 93. In this enumeration of the extent of the 
orders, the Natatores, or water-fowl, are the most 
disproportionate, a fact which is easily accounted 
for by the insular character of the country, and 
the considerable extent of lakes and marsh which 
occur in various parts. Of the Raptores none, 
we believe, have been altogether lost, but the 
abundance and generality of some of the larger 
species have been much reduced from the reasons 
we have already stated. Of the Incessores about 
forty-nine species are migratory, leaving only 
* A Nomenclature ot British Birds, being a Systematic 
Catalogue of all the Species hitherto discovered in Great 
Britain and Ireland, intended for labelling Collections. By 
Henry Doubleday. 1836. 
