vi NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



futiu-e resefu-ch, shortcomings, no doubt, will be discovered hero and 

 there in the book — no liuman work was yet perfect — but the author 

 ventures to hope that the sympathetic verdict of students and readers 

 will be, " How few aot-e the mistakes ; " while his earnest desire is that 

 the work may remain good long after his death, yea, and the deaths of 

 all those who love him. Of com-sc I could not have completed such an 

 important task myself were it not for the able assistance of fciends and 

 correspondents (some of whom have been removed by death) in almost 

 every comer of the Continent. One might just as well expect to construct 

 a castle or build a big bridge alone. Moreover, as a good foimdation, 

 I have had the benefit of the labours of those worthies (some of them 

 giants in theii- day) who have preceded me in the field (i.e., Field 

 Naturalists, as opposed to closet workei-s or systematists) of research, 



Gould frequently mentioned to Professor Alfred Newton (Cambridge), 

 that it was his intention to publish an Oology of Australia as a sequel 

 to his great work, " Birds of AusU'alia," and it is probable it was only the 

 magnitude of his other undertakings — two or three of which were 

 unfinished at the time of his death— that hindered him from piitting his 

 design into execution. 



Regarding my work itself I have little to say, except to mention that 

 the scientific classification and nomenclature are in accordance generally 

 with the " Catalogue of Birds '' of the British Museum ; while tlie ver- 

 naculai' names, with few exceptions, may be found in the " List of 

 Vernacular Names for Australian Birds," published by the Australian 

 Association for the Advancement of Science. Since Gould's day, orni- 

 thology, like every other science, has advanced apace, consequently 

 Gould's classification is somewhat obsolete. Besides, he himself said 

 his was the classification of a " single country " only ; whereas the British 

 Museum Catalogue brings the birds of the whole world imder review. 

 It has been foimd necessaiy to alter many of Gould's vernaculars, in a 

 number of which he simply repeated the scientific genus, for instance : — 

 Little Acanthiza, Spotted Sericornis, while some were duplicated. 

 " Pied " Crow Shrike occurs twice, as also does " Shining " Flycatcher, 

 " Fasciated " Honey Eater, " Wliite-throated " Honey Eater, " Beautiful " 

 Parrakeet, and others. 



Referring to the interesting study of Geogi-apliical Distribution, I 

 obtained great assistance from Dr- Ramsay's " Tabular List," while the 

 extra Australian localities are adopted almost entirely from the British 

 Museum " Catalogue." 



