List of British Vetebrates

Abstract

FEW naturalists have at hand complete lists of tho various groups of British vertebrata, and yet in tho absenco of such lists roforonco and checking often become unutterably tedious. The suggestion of the Association of British Zoologists that a complete check list of all British vertebrates should be compiled was, therefore, a sound proposal, and the list as it now appoars will prove of value in many ways, especially to workers of wide interests. This is clearly due to the way in which the British Museum (Natural History) has applied itself to carrying out the suggestion, for apart from the Bird list (by B. W. Tucker) the work of compilation has fallen upon the Museum staff, and for the editing and publication it also has been responsible (pp. 66, price Is.). The list is a check list and no more, giving the Latin and English names of species and often indicating by letter symbols something about the status. In contrasting this check list with the lists of other countries, one's first impression is that it is a short list, representing a land fauna not outstandingly rich in variety, and a second strong impression is that, much less than other countries, Britain has been subjected to the successful introduction of foreign animals. To the short list of animals marked as introduced should be added, amongst tho mammals, the rabbit, the black rat and the brown rat, and the Japanese deer, Qervus siha, which is very much at home in part of the western highlands of Scotland and was introduced so long ago as 1887; amongst tho birds, several species of pheasant, for Phiasianus colchicus is now a rare species in the coverts, its place having boon usurped mainly by P. torquatus.