ESSEX PRE-ORNITHOLOGY. 25
Ornithologically the value of the information which has been
collected. It is unfortunate that some of the geological birds
are not more fully described, but at least some of the specimens
must be many thousands of years old, as they have been referred
to the Palaeolithic period. If it can be accepted that these remains
are really of what may be called geological origin then they
become of great ornithological interest. It will be noticed that
only the bones of large birds have been discovered, as nothing
smaller than a Mallard has been described. This is probably
accounted for by the fact that the smaller bones have been
more subject to disintegration and thus have disappeared.
Excluding the Turkey, which I do not include in the systematic
List, we have ten geological birds. Let us consider them particu-
larly in relation to the present status of the birds in the County.
The White-tailed Eagle, Osprey, Whooper Swan and Grey
Lag-Goose are to-day occasional visitors to Essex, and we
possess no knowledge that they ever bred or occurred regularly.
The Brent Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, Cormorant and
Red-throated Diver are winter residents, but there is nothing
to suggest that they ever carried on nesting operations. The
Mallard is to-day a very abundant breeder. The geological
evidence conforms to the present-day status for remains of the
Mallard were found in three different localities and relatively
that is a lot when we think of what a very trifling part of the
county has been excavated in relation to the total area of 1,542
square miles. The geological information suggests that, re-
membering the great lapse of time which has occurred, a
systematic list of those remote days would not differ substantially
from what we have to-day. It can be inferred, however, that the
White-tailed Eagle, Osprey, Whooper Swan, and Grey Lag-
Goose, in the age when man fashioned from flint those implements
which are of such great interest to us, were of much more frequent
occurrence than they are at the present time. There is one bird
whose appearance in the county to-day would be very extra-
ordinary, namely, the Wandering Albatross. Although Hartert
includes this bird in his Vogel der Palaarktischen Fauna on the
strength of two or three occurrences it has never been recorded
from Britain. Its habitat to-day lies in the seas south of the
Equator. That remains of this bird should be found in Essex
is very remarkable, and if it can be accepted that this species