Welsh Journals

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Ring Ouzel. Pembs. 2 seen on Skomer on 2 April. T. A. W. DAVIS. Black Redstart. Pembs. A male frequented a garden at St. Ishmael's from 12 to 20 March. T.A.W.D. White Wagtail. Flints. A pair near Talacre on 19 May. B.A.D. Siskin. Caerns. This species is evidently breeding on quite a large scale in several afforested areas, numerous pairs having been located in the nesting-season. J.V. (The siskin clearly gives promise of invading forestry planta- tions elsewhere in Wales as the lesser redpoll has done of recent years. W.M.C.) Crossbill. Mer. C.12 were seen on 10 July feeding in Silver Firs at Garth Angharad, Dolgelley. Some were in bright red plumage, others green. R.G.P. (Invasions of crossbills from N. Europe after the breeding- season are a well-known though irregular occurrence. 1956 may prove to be a crossbill year, for others were seen in July on Fair Isle and Bardsey and near Welshpool. W.M.C.) BOOK REVIEWS Collins POCKET GUIDE TO WILD FLOWERS. David McClintock and R. S. R. Fitter. Collins, London, 1955. 25s. A great many popular books on wild flowers have been pub- lished which set out to enable the reader to name at least the com- moner wild flowers of Britain. This one stands apart from any of them, in the first place, in that it includes (with some special excep- tions) all the flowering plants and pteridophytes which are natives of the British Isles, together with a generous selection of introduced plants. Thus virtually all the plants which the average amateur botanist is likely to meet with growing apparently wild in this country are to found in its pages. It is commendably up to date the general arrangement of the plants follows that of Clapham, Tutin and Warburg's Flora of the British Isles, while the Latin names are based on the forthcoming British Plant List to be published by the Botanical Society of the British Isles. The user of the Flora will find himself at home with most of these names, though he will notice that, for instance, the Pasque Flower is separated from Anemone as Pulsatilla vulgaris, and the Annual Rock-rose from Helianthemum as Tuberaria guttata Woodruff is now Galium odoratum, and the various Brome grasses are again grouped together under Bromus. An excellent feature is that the authorities for the names are given in full their customary abbreviations are often not very informative to the uninitiated. A number of species are included