INTRODUCTION. 



The scientific arrangement followed in this work is mainly in 

 accordance with that of ' The List of British Birds compiled by a 

 Committee of the British Ornithologists' Union.' There are, of 

 course, differences of opinion respecting the relative position of 

 some of the Families which make up the Order Passeres, such as 

 the Corvidae ; but nearly all modern systematists are agreed that 

 the highest avian development is attained in that Order. The 

 Passeres therefore, as being the most specialized of birds, should 

 occupy either the first place in a descending arrangement (such 

 as that set forth by Mr. P. L. Sclater in 'The Ibis' for 1880 and 

 widely adopted in the Old World), or else the last in a scheme of 

 ascent from the lowest and most reptilian birds. Nearly fifteen 

 years ago, the latter found favour, even in a somewhat crude form, 

 in the United States; and it has received increasing acceptance 

 in Europe, owing to its elaboration by Professor Bronn, Dr. Hans 

 Gadow and Professor Fiirbringer, while it has been adopted by Mr. 

 A. H. Evans in his new volume ' Birds,' of the Cambridge Natural 

 History. There is much to be said in its favour, but such a 

 complete change would hardly commend itself to the readers of 

 a work which has been playfully named ' The Boy's Yarrell ' ; 

 and it therefore seems preferable to adhere to the highly-sanctioned 

 scheme of commencing with the Passeres. To attain some 

 approach to uniformity, my own views have been subordinated to 

 those of the majority of the Committee of the B.O.U. as regards 

 the positions of the Corvidte and the Alaudidae, as well as on some 

 other unessential points. 



It must be remembered that this work is merely a Manual, 

 intended to convey as much information ?// to date as may be 

 practicable in o>ie volume ; and it would be foreign to my purpose 

 to increase its bulk by a treatise on the Orders and Families of 

 Birds ; yet a brief outline has been given of the characteristics 

 of the Genera, although even this forms no essential part of the 

 scheme of the work. The beginner will do well to bear in mind 

 that, although systematists may be fairly agreed as regards the com- 



