PKEFACE. 



About tliree years sinco, wlien I commenced to prepare 

 tliis Catalogue, my iutontiou was to give ouly a list of tlie 

 species in my collection ; but ou consideriug tliat six years 

 have elapsed since tlie issuc of tlie last volume of tlic " Haud 

 List of Birds" (Gray), I tliouglit tliat tlie publication of a 

 Catalogue in one voliime, coutaiuing all tlie species of birds 

 described to tliis date, would be acceptable to oruitliologists. 



With tliat idea I set to work ; aud with thc help of such 

 excelleut works as the " Haud List of Birds " (Gray) ; 

 "Nomenclator Avium ueotropicalium " (Sclater aud Sal- 

 vin) ; " Catalogue of Birds/' Vols. I. aud 11. (Sharpe) ; "Pro- 

 ceediugs of the Zoological Society; ^' '•' Ibis ; '^ " Oonspectus 

 Geuerum Avium^' (Bouaparte); "Zoological Reports;^' ctc, 

 etc, I have eudeavoured to make this Catalogue as complote 

 as possible. 



My thauks are due to Mr. Osbert Salviu, for his kiuduess 

 in procuring for me matorials by which I have been ablo to 

 iusert all the species described in 1874. 



Tho greater part of thosc described iu 1875, togcthcr 

 with one uew species of Araina) {Ara Goulonl), which Mr. 

 Sclater iutends shortly to describo, arc also inckidcd iu this 

 list. 



At intervals of two or three years, I propose to issue 

 a Supplemeut, containing all the species described in the 

 precediug years. 



This catalogue is, however, ouly the bcgiuuiug of a more 

 importaut work, which I inteud to iDublish iu a f cw ycars, 

 aud for which I have alrcady much materiaL This work — 



