PREFACE. 



With great satisfaction the Editors affix their 

 si<;natures to the Preface of the Fiftieth Volume of 

 'The Ibis,' which is now concluded by the issue 

 of the Two-hundredth Number. As our Members 

 are aware, it has been decided to add a Supplement, 

 which, it is hoped, will be ready for distribution at 

 the same time as the first number of the year 1909. 

 This Supplement will contain: (1) A short history of 

 the "British Ornithologists' Union"; (2) Biographical 

 Notices of the Founders of the Union, of the 

 principal Contributors to the First Series of ' The 

 Ibis,' and of the Officers ; and (3) A complete list of 

 all the Members of the Union who have been elected 

 since its foundation in 1858. To this will be added 

 a Report of the Proceedings of the Jubilee Meeting 

 of the Union, which it is proposed to hold on the 

 9th of December next. 



As will be seen by the Register in the present 

 volume, the total number of the Members of the 

 British Ornithologists' Union is now 473. Of these, 

 434 are Ordinary Members, 2 are Extraordinary 

 Members, 10 are Honorary Members, 8 are Colonial 

 Members, and 19 are Foreign Members. When the 

 Union was first founded in 1858 it was thought best 

 to restrict the number of Members to twenty. But 

 after a few years had passed it was deemed advisable 

 to place the .Union on a broader basis, and this wise 



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