X IHTKODCCTION. 



rather indicates an attempt (although a feeble one) to revert to an 

 earlier form. 



The magnificent donations of the " Hume," " Salvin and Godman," 

 and " Tweeddalo Collections,"' the acquisition of the "Sclater" and 

 the " Shelley Collections," beside other valuable additions obtained 

 by the Trustees from various sources, while adding to the bulk of 

 the present volume, have, I trust, provided a more solid basis upon 

 ■which to work, by supplying many links in the chain of evidence. 



I have to record my thanks to Professor Alphonse Milne-Edwards 

 and Dr. Oustalet of Paris, Dr. Jentink of Leiden, Dr. Smitt of 

 Stockholm, Dr. Eidgway of Washington, Count Salvadori of Turin, 

 Professor Alfred Newton, Thomas Moore, Esq., of the Derby Museum, 

 Liverpool, Messrs. Salvin and Godman, Sclater, Seebohm, E. W. 

 Gates, Sennett, Dresser, Harvie- Brown, also to Canon Tristram, 

 Captain Shelley, and Major Wardlaw-Ramsay, for the great services 

 rendered, either by the loan of specimens for the purposes of the pre- 

 sent volume, or by much valuable information and assistance during 

 the progress of my long-continued study of the birds of this family ; 

 and I feel sure that the expression of my opinion upon points in 

 which I differ from some of my colleagues will be received in the 

 same spirit in which such notes have been penned. 



The same symbols used in the previous volumes of the ' Catalogue ' 

 are adopted here. "[P.]" means "Presented by;" "[C.]"= 

 " Collected by." The sex of a specimen enclosed in brackets, thus 

 [ c? ], indicates that the bird is in all probability of the sex given, but 

 that the collector's label lacks this information. The locality of a 

 specimen enclosed in brackets shows that such locality is upon the 

 label, but that its correctness is doubtful. 



EDWAED HARGITT. 



May 3rcl, 1890. 



