oiseaux de mer sur les côtes des Isles de cet Bailliage a considerablement diminué depuis plusieurs années; que les dits oiseaux sont utiles aux pêcheurs, en ce qu'ils indiquent les parages ou les poissons se trouvent; que les dits oiseaux sont utiles aux marins en ce qu'ils annoncent pendant la durée des brouillards la proximite des rochers," goes on to enact as follows:—"Il est défendu de prendre, enlever ou détruire les ceufs des oiseaux de mer dans toute I'entendue de la jurisdiction de cette isle, sur la peine d'une amende qui ne sera pas moindre de sept livres tournois et n'excédera pas trente livres tournois."^[3] Sec. 2 enacts, "Depuis ce jour^[4] au 15 Octobre prochain, il est défendu de tuer, blesser, prendre ou chasser les oiseaux de mer dans toute l'entendue de la jurisdiction de cette isle." Sec. 3, "Ceux qui depuis ce jour au 15 Octobre prochain auront été trouvés en possession d'un oiseau de mer récemment tué, blessé ou pris, ou qui auront été trouvés en possession de plumage frais appartenant d'un oiseau de mer seront censés avoir tué, blessé ou pris tel oiseau de mer sauf è eux de prouver le contraire. Pareillement ceux qui depuis ce jour au 15 Octobre prochain auront été trouvés en possession d'un oeuf de l'annee d'un oiseau de mer seront censés avoir pris et enleve le dit oeuf sauf à eux de prouver le contraire." The penalty in each case is the same as in Section 1. Section 4 contains the list of the oiseaux de mer which come under the protection of the Act, which is as follows:—Les Mauves Mouettes, Pingouins, Guillemots, Cormorans, Barbelotes, Hirondelles de mer, Pies-marants, Petrel, Plongeons, Grebes, Puffins, Dotterells, Alouettes de mer, Toumpierres, Gannets, Courlis et Martin pêcheur.

As far as the eggs of many of the species actually breeding in the Islands are concerned, this Act seems to be a dead letter: the only birds of any size whose eggs are not regularly robbed are the Herring Gulls and Shags, and they take sufficient care of themselves; were the Act strictly enforced it would probably be found that there would be—as would be the case in England—a good deal of opposition to this part of it, which would greatly interfere with what appears to be a considerable article of food with many of the population. Probably the only compromise which would work, and could be rigidly enforced, would be to fix a later date for the protection of the eggs—say as late as the 15th June; this would allow those who wanted to rob the eggs for food to take the earlier layings, and the birds would be able to bring up their second or third broods in peace; and probably the fishermen and others, who use the eggs as an article of consumption, would be glad to assist in carrying out such an Act as this, as they would soon find the birds increase so much that they would be able to take as many eggs by the middle of June as they do now in the whole year, especially the Black-back Gulls and the Puffins, which are the birds mostly robbed,—the latter of which are certainly decreasing considerably in numbers in consequence.

This plan is successfully carried out by many private owners of the large breeding-stations of the Gannets, Eider Duck, and other sea-birds in the north of England and Scotland. Of course, it must not be supposed that all the birds mentioned in the Act whose eggs are protected breed in the Islands, or anywhere within ten or fifteen degrees of latitude of the Islands; in fact, a great many of them are not there at all during the breeding-season, except perhaps an occasional wounded bird which has been unable to join its companions on their migratory journey, or a few non-breeding stragglers.

It has often struck me that a small but rigidly collected and enforced gun-tax would be a more efficacious protection—not only to the oiseaux de mer, but also to the inland birds, many of which are quite as much in want of protection though not included in the Act—than the Sea-bird Protection Act is. I am glad to see that there is some chance of this being carried out, for, while this work was going through the press, I see by the newspaper ('Gazette Officielle de Guernsey' for the 26th March, 1879) that the Bailiff had then just issued a Billet d'Etat which contained a "Projet de loi" on the subject, to be submitted to the States at their next meeting; and in concluding its comments on this Projet de loi the Gazette says, "Il n'est que juste en fait que ceux qui veulent se lier au plaisir de la chasse paient pour cette fantaisie et que par ce moyen le trop grand nombre de nos chasseurs maladroits et inexpérimentes se voit réduit au grand avantage de nos fermiers et de nos promeneurs;" and probably also to the advantage of the chasseurs themselves.

In regard to the nomenclature, I have done the best I can to follow the rule laid down by the British Association; but not living in London, and consequently not having access to a sufficiently large ornithological library to enable me to search out the various synonyms for myself and ascertain the exact dates, I have therefore been obliged to rely on the best authorities whose works I possess, and accept the name given by them. In doing this, I have no doubt I have been quite as correct as I should have been had I waded through the various authors who have written on the subject, as I have invariably accepted the name adopted by Professor Newton in his edition of Yarrell, and by Mr. Dresser in his 'Birds of Europe', as far as these works are yet complete: for the birds not yet included in either I have for the most part taken the scientific names from Mr. Howard Saunders's 'Catalogue des oiseaux du midi de L'Espagne,' published in the 'Proceedings' of the Société Zoologique de France; and for the names of the Gulls and Terns I have entirely followed Mr. Howard Saunders's papers on those birds published in the 'Proceedings' of our own Zoological Society, for permission to use which, and for other assistance,—especially in egg-hunting,—I have to give him my best thanks.

As French is so much spoken in Guernsey and the other Islands included in my district, I have (wherever I have been able to ascertain it) given the French name of each bird, as it may be better known to my Guernsey readers than either the English or the scientific name. I have also, where there is one and I have been able to ascertain it, mentioned the local name in the course of my notes on each bird.

It now only remains to give my best thanks to the various friends who have assisted me, especially to Mr. MacCulloch, who, though he says he is no naturalist, has supplied me with various very interesting notes, which he has taken from time to time of ornithological events which have occurred in Guernsey, and from which I have drawn rather largely; and I have, also, again to thank him for the interesting accounts he has given me of the various changes—agricultural and otherwise—which have taken place during his memory, and which may have had some effect on the ornithology of the Islands, especially of Guernsey.

My thanks are also due to Col. L'Estrange for the assistance he has given me in egg-hunting, and also to Captain Hubback for his notes from Alderney during the times he was quartered there.

BIRDS OF GUERNSEY.

1. WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. Haliaeetus albicilla, Linnsaeus. French, "Aigle pygarque," "Pygarque ordinaire."—The White-tailed Eagle is an occasional but by no means uncommon visitant to all the Islands. I have seen specimens from Alderney, Guernsey, and Herm, and have heard of its having been killed in Sark more than once. It