50 Mr. R. B. Sharpe's Introduction 



' The Ibis ' was not yet established, and such an idea as the 

 calling into existence of a journal entirely devoted to Indian 

 ornithology was undreamt of. Only one year previously had 

 Gray completed his great work on the Genera of Birds, 

 which tabulated and placed in order all the then known 

 genera and species ; and this was closely followed by the 

 ' Conspectus Avium'' of Prince Bonaparte and the ' Catalogue 

 of the Museum Heineanum ' of Dr. Cabanis. But although 

 the three last mentioned works will always be celebrated for 

 the order which they introduced into the Class Aves, their 

 work did not affect Asiatic ornithology in particular, and the 

 credit for first setting in order the ornithology of India rests 

 with two naturalists — Jerdon and Blyth. Before Mr. Gould^s 

 work commenced, the former had finished his ' Catalogue of 

 the Birds of the Peninsula of India,' while for many years 

 Mr. Blyth had been engaged in publishing those important 

 notes and synopses of Indian birds, in the ' Journal of the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal,' which even at the present day are 

 studied with advantage by the ornithologist. Then, in 1849, 

 appeared Mr. Blyth's ' Catalogue of the Birds in the Museum 

 of the Asiatic Society,' wherein were incorporated the results 

 of all his previous labours, as well as those of Jerdon. 

 Another writer. Lord Arthur Hay, in future to be better 

 known to the scientific world after his accession to the titles 

 Viscount Walden and Marquis of Tweeddale, had also written 

 one or two small papers on Indian birds ; and Mr. Gould 

 had himself published an illustrated folio work entitled ' A 

 Century of Birds from the Himalaya ]\Iountains.' A great 

 change, however, had taken place in our knowledge of Hima- 

 layan birds since the day when it was considered of impor- 

 tance to figure one hundred species from this part of India. 

 This was due to the exertions of Mr. B. H. Hodgson, the 

 British Resident in Nepal, who as early as the year 1836 

 commenced to publish papers in which he introduced to the 

 notice of naturalists some animals of the greatest interest 

 from the hill regions of Nepal. His enormous collections 

 were presented by him to the British Museum in 1843 and 

 1845, together with a complete set of native drawings, which 



