liNTRODUCTlON. 



'5 Ullu. CUJ. 1 



/Tf^lIE present and conchidiii;^ N'olume contains descriptions of the Nests and E;j;f,'s of one 

 hundred and thii ty-se\en species of Australian and Tasmanian Birds, and is partly 

 based on the collection in the Australian Museum, and the remainder chiefly on private collec- 

 tions. The birds enumerated belong to the (Jrders Platai.e.k, Herodioxes, Chexomorph.e, 

 CoLUMD.E, Gallin'.e, H i; m 1 1'l h m I, I'rijCAKLE, ALECTOkiDi:s, Li.MicoL.E, Gavi.e, Tubinares, 

 PvGOPODEs, Impennes and Casiakii. In addition twenty-two species of Australian Birds' 

 Nests and Eg^s are described in an Appendix. 



.\s in the previous \'olumes, by the loan of specimens and the contribution of information, 

 considerable assistance has been received from many \alued correspondents, whose names 

 appear in the work-. With some few exceptions the nomenclature is similar to that used by the 

 authors of the " Catalo,i;ues of Birds in the British Museum," and to whom I here aclcnowledge 

 my indebtedness. 



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

 process at the Government l-'rinting Ofhce, from photographs of the originals talcen under the 

 direction of tlie Government Printer, Mr. W. .\. Gullick, and the personal supervision of Mr. 

 A. E. Dyer. 



The original drawings of birds, from which the figures have been reproduced, were made 

 by the late Mr. Neville Cayley, who is also responsible for colouring the plates of eggs in the 

 coloured copies. 



P"or assistance by the donation of photographs of nests, nesting-places and breeding haunts, I 

 am chiefly indebted to the late Mr. H. P. C. Ashworth, Dr. W. Macgillivray and Mr. Cieorge 

 Savidge, but the names of each from whom the photographs were received will be found 

 throughout the work. 



A.J.N. 



SvDXEV, Dcccmher, I'll I. 



