PREFACE. 



It is with no small degree of pleasure that the members 

 of the British Ornithologists' Union offer the second 

 volume of ' The Ibis ' to the public. Their satisfaction 

 arises from the successful issue of the experiment, upon 

 which they have ventm^ed. It was hoped in the first 

 instance that there might be found a body of supporters 

 sufficient to carry on a Magazine exclusively devoted to 

 Ornithology. It was also hoped that this end might be 

 attained without interfering in any way Avith Journals 

 already established. Both these expectations have been 

 entirely fulfilled. Every copy of the first volume of 

 'The Ibis' has been disposed of; and while it is cer- 

 tain that the number and scientific value of the Ornitho- 

 logical papers in other periodicals have in no respect 

 diminished, it is believed that their circulation has suf- 

 fered no loss through the establishment of the present 

 Journal. 



Since the publication of the last volume of ' The Ibis,' 

 two meetings of the members of the ' Union ' have been 

 held, one in London in the month of November 1859, 

 the other at Oxford on the 29th of June in the present 

 year. At the latter, Mr. R. F. Tomes was elected to the 



