uumber ; and therefore not much time is lost in referring to 

 all of them if it is necessary. Moreover a combined index 

 of this kind increases in value with the number of volumes 

 it covers ; I therefore am of opinion that, although such an 

 index of authors and subjects will be of great use at some 

 future day, if the life of ' The Ibis ' is as prolonged as we all 

 wish it to be, the time has not yet come for its compilation. 



When the indexes of these eighteen volumes were brought 

 together, the varied orthography of many names became 

 apparent. These I have endeavoured to reduce to a common 

 spelling, and in doing so have adopted that which seemed 

 most correct. 



My task has been greatly lightened by the kind help 

 rendered me in copying the indexes in the first instance ; and 

 my thanks are chiefly due to Mrs. H. E. Strickland, to my 

 sister Miss Salvin, to Mrs. Howard Saundei-s, and to Mrs. O. 

 Salvin, for the aid they have given me. The laborious task 

 of making the second transcript was efficiently performed by 

 i\Ir. Alfred Rodgers of the C'ambridge University Library. 

 At each stage I have carefully revised the whole ; and in 

 every case of doubt reference to the original page has been 

 made. 



To say that work like this is extremely monotonous is to 

 say no more than the truth ; but if the time of those Avho 

 consult * The Ibis ' shall be economized (as must, I think, be 

 the case) by the completion of this volume, we shall have 

 received our reward. 



OSBERT SALVIN. 



Cambridge, May 1879. 



