INTRODUCTION. 



IiT the present volume the second group of the Passeriformes or 

 Perching-birds, containing the Ciclilomorphce, has been commenced, 

 and the first two families, consisting of the Cuckoo-Shrikes and 

 Fl)-catchers, have been described in detail. The total number of 

 species enumerated is 539, of which 443 are represented in the 

 Collection of the British Museum. A considerable proportion of the 

 missing species will no doubt ultimately be found to be identical 

 with others included in the present voliune. In many cases, the 

 absence of generic characters in the writings of the original dcscribers 

 of certain species has rendered it extremely difhcult to assign to them 

 their proper position with any degree of certainty. 



Some idea of the way in which the number of described species 

 of these families has increased during the last ten years may be 

 gathered from the following facts, which also bear testimony to the 

 rapid increase of the ornithological collection in the British Museum 

 during the same period. 



In 1869, when the last list of Campophagidce was published by 

 the late Mr. G. E. Gray, in the ' Hand-list of Birds,' the number of 

 described species was 87, of which 72 were in the Museum coUeo- 

 tion, represented by about 250 specimens. 



In the present year the number of described species is 148, and 

 of these 127 are in the collection, represented by 514 specimens. 



The number of described species of Muscicapidce in the year 1869 



