INTRODUCTION. 



/■ |(^HE present and first volume contains descriptions of the Nests and Eggs of one hundred 



and sixty-five species of AustraHan and Tasnianian Birds, and is chiefly based on the 



collections in the Australian Museum. The birds enumerated form portion of the Order 



Passeres, and belong to the Families Cokvid*;, Paradiseid.e, Ptii.on'Orhynchid.e, Origlid.e, 



DiCRUKlD.E, PrIOXOPID.E, C AM rOl'IIAlHI i.E, M T SCICAPID.E, Tl'RDIM.E, SvLVlID.E, and TiMELIID.E. 



By the loan of specimens, and the contribution of information, considerable assistance has 

 been received from many valued correspondents whose names appear in the work. Amongst 

 these, thanks are specially due to Messrs. G. A. Keartland, J. Gabriel, C. French, Junr., 

 C. E. Cowle, Edwin Ashby, T. Carter, G. Savidge, E. H. Lane, F. Hislop, E. D. and R. N. 

 Atkinson, and Drs. L. Holden, W. Macgilli\'ray, A. M. Morgan, and Charles Ryan. I am also 

 indebted to the Trustees and the Director (Dr. E. C. Stirling, F.R.S.), of the South Australian 

 Museum, Adelaide, who have lent numerous specimens for comparison and examination, and 

 to the Assistant Director (Mr. A. Zietz), wlio has at all times courteously supplied me with the 

 available information relative to them. Acknowledgment must also be made of the loan of 

 specimens from the Queensland Museum, through the Curator (Mr. C. W'. De \'is, M..A.), and 

 of access to the collection of the Macleay Museum, at the University of Sydney, and of informa- 

 tion regarding the specimens given by the Curator (Mr. Cj. Masters). 



Altogether one hundred and seventy-two species of Australian and Tasmanian birds are 

 described in this Catalogue, of which the types of the following fourteen species are in the 

 Australian Musemn Collection: — Comis beitiietti, Sccno/>a'cfcs dodirostvis, .^lunvdiis maculosus, 

 Rhipidura alhicauda, Rhipidura intermedia, Hcteroinyias cinercifi'ons, Pacilodiyas nana, Miliums assiwilis, 

 Amytis modcsta, Ercmiornis cartcri, Acanthisn mastcrsi, Apheloccphnla nigi'iciitcfn, Oi'thonyx spaldiiiffi, 

 Calamantltns alhiloris, and the co-type of Ephtliianiira crocca. 



The figures of eggs, which are of the natural size, have been reproduced by the heliotype 

 process at the Government Printing Office, from photographs of the originals, taken under the 

 direction of the Government Printer, Mr. W. .\. Gullick. 



The original drawings of birds, from which the figures have been re-produced, were made 



by the late Mr. Neville Cayley, who also coloured the plates of eggs in the coloured copies. 



With four e.xceptions, the photographs of nests, etc., are the work of the Museum Photographer 



(Mr. H. Barnes, lunr.) and myself. 



A. J. N. 

 Sydney, October, igo^. 



