Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, tyc. 307 
XXXII.— Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, fyc. 
We have received the following letter :— 
To the Editor of ‘ The Ibis.’ 
A'wCt,.** fQ Fordingbridge, June 1st, 1861. 
Sir, —Since my letter to you in February, which appeared in 
the last Number of ‘ The Ibis/ I have had an opportunity of 
inspecting the third edition of Mr. Hewitson's work on the 
Eggs of British Birds, and now beg to offer a few remarks, 
which, I hope, may result in the acquisition of a reliable list of 
British birds, properly so called. 
Species. 
There are figured in the 3rd edition of Hewitson. 286 
Enumerated in f The Ibis ’ Li st of Desiderata . 35 
321 
But we must deduct the Snowy Owl and Bewick’s Swan, as they 
are figured in Hewitson and also occur in ‘ The Ibis 5 List of 
Desiderata . 2 
319 
In the f Zoologist’ List, and not occurring in Hewitson, or ‘The 
Ibis’ List of Desiderata, there are . 34 
In the 3rd edition of Yarrell, but not in the above c Ibis,’ 4 Zoolo¬ 
gist,’ or Hewitson’s Lists .... 5 
Noticed in ‘ The Ibis ’ and in none of the above Lists . 2 
Total number of Birds regarded as British by various authorities 360 
Now, there is no doubt that all Hewitson's figures of eggs 
are those of British birds, and that all the birds in f The Ibis ’ 
List of Desiderata are really British. In order somewhat to nar¬ 
row the point at issue, I will now enumerate those species which 
occur in the f Zoologist 3 list, in the 3rd edition of 1 Yarrell/ and 
in the last two Numbers of ‘ The Ibis/ but which are not men 
tioned in the 3rd edition of Hewitson, or in f The Ibis 9 List of 
Desiderata, as amongst these must be found those which, without 
sufficient reason, have obtained a place in the British list—some, 
perhaps, through mistake, some on slender evidence, and some 
in consequence of having been improperly regarded as distinct 
species. 
The following list must also of necessity contain those spe- 
