Book excerpt: Scarce migrant birds of Britain and Ireland - how many are seen? How regularly do they come? Where do they occur? When are they likely to be spotted? The above questions are authoritatively answered by the author, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock, honorary secretary of the British Ornithologists' Union's Record Committee and of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, joint convener of the European Ornithological Atlas Committee, and a member of the British Birds Rarities Committee and of the Irish Records Panel. Dr Sharrock takes a ten-year period and investigates in detail all the records of a selection of birds which occur here as scarce migrants - birds from Europe, from Asia and from America. He considers their breeding and wintering ranges, and the patterns of their records in Britain and Ireland, and tries to determine also - why do they visit us at all? Jacket design by Robert Gillmor.