PREFACE. V 



cases in which West-European birds more closely resemble East- 

 Asiatic ones than the Siberian races -which intervene. The third 

 section, which embraces the larger part of the volume, is devoted to 

 the Classification and Identification of Japanese Birds. I have not 

 occupied the space devoted to each species with useless synonymy or 

 with long descriptions. Those references only are quoted which 

 contain some valuable information, and those details of the plumage 

 only are given which are necessary to distinguish the species from 

 other Japanese birds, or from nearly allied species or races. 



I venture to think that the information respecting the Birds of 

 the Japanese Empire, much of it collected together for the first time, 

 Avill prove to be an interesting and important contribution towards 

 our knowledge of the Geographical Distribution of the Birds of 

 the Palsearctic Reorion. 



