INTRODUCTION. 



The family TiinAlidce, an account of which was commenced in the 

 preceding volume, is here completed, with the enumeration and de- 

 scription of 6S7 species. Of these no less than 548 are contained 

 in the collection of the British Museum. Some of the desiderata 

 are of obscure or doubtful origin ; but quite 120 species are still 

 wanting to complete the series. Many of them are inhabitants of 

 the hill-ranges of North-eastern Bengal, Assam, and Western China ; 

 and collections from these localities would therefore be particularly 

 welcome. Out of 163 genera described in the present volume, only 

 14 are unrepresented in the British Museum. 



The number of specimens catalogued in this volume is 3942. 



The author desires to acknowledge the great assistance he has 

 received from Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay, Capt. Shelley, Mr. H. See- 

 bohm, and Colonel Godwin-Austen, who lent him their entire 

 collections of Timeliine birds for the purposes of study ; while to 

 Mr. Seebohm the Museum is indebted besides for a very handsome 

 donation of beautifully prepared skins from Sikhim, which have 

 been of the utmost service to the author in describing the species. 



Mr. Davison, Capt. Bingham, and Mr. E. W. Oates, during their 

 furloughs in England, have spent much of their time in assisting the 

 author, who here desires to return his acknowledgments for the 

 kindly aid afforded by these gentlemen. The late Prof. Peters, 

 Dr. Steindachner, and Dr. Krauss have also helped the author, by 

 sending for his inspection the types preserved in the Museums 

 under their charge; while Dr. Anderson, of the Indian Museum, 

 Calcutta, and Prof. Riitimeyer, of Basle, have likewise lent some 

 interesting specimens, without which some doubtful questions could 

 not liavc been settled. 



