PREFACE 



No apology is offered for the appearance of the present modest 

 little volume dealing with the avifauna of our island home. The 

 time appeared ripe for such a book as would deal, in a manner 

 consistent with scientific accuracy, and plain to understand, with 

 our feathered friends. While every endeavour has been made to 

 eliminate errors and to attain as high a degree of accuracy as 

 possible, the author does not claim infallibility. The present 

 volume makes no pretence to be either a " history " or a " mono- 

 graph " of the various species passed under review. 



The sins of omission are both manifold and manifest, and for 

 these kind indulgence is craved. The one most regretted is in 

 connection with the brevity of the field notes under the heading 

 of "Observations." This was imperative in order to compress 

 the subject matter within reasonable limits. Some day it may be 

 the author's privilege, or that of someone more worthy, to write 

 a history of the birds of this garden isle. Until such is done, the 

 hope is expressed that the present effort may to some extent help 

 to bridge the gap. Every endeavour has been made to make the 

 book purely Tasmanian — i.e., to describe from material collected 

 wdthin the confines of Tasmania, and to use only field notes 

 collected in the island. A large amount of success has been 

 achieved in this direction, thanks chiefly to the good offices of 

 various kind friends. 



The writings of the author's predecessors and contemporaries 

 have been constantly consulted, and much help obtained there- 

 from. All measurements taken by the author are expressed in 

 terms of millimeters, as being in his estimation the easiest for 

 comparison, and, now that the decimal system is coming so much 

 into everyday use, the simplest also for the layman. 



At the end of the subject matter will be found an extract from 



