INTRODUCTION. xliii 



in which, however, my Litest discoveries were not recorded ; 

 and I may be excused adding with some pride, that 

 only one species has as yet been added to the Fauna of 

 Southern India, not previously obtained by myself, and 

 that bird a most rare straggler, Lobipes hyperboreas. 



Lastly, Mr. Blyth's numerous and valuable papers, 

 already mentioned in the Preface, and his efforts, by 

 intercourse and correspondence, have contributed an 

 impetus to the study of Natural Eistory, that has done 

 more to its extension in India, than all the previous pub- 

 lications. His ' Catalogue of Birds in the Museum Asiatic 

 Society, Calcutta,' and Horsfield's ' Catalogue of the Birds 

 of the E. I. C. Museum in London,' have been most valu- 

 able aids to me, and are referred to under ever)^ species. 



Of Illustrated works on Indian Ornithology, the first 

 published was a selection by Mr. Gray from the immense 

 collection of drawings of General Hardwicke. The drawings 

 are very inferior, and were not accompanied by any letter 

 press. Mr. Gould, in 1832, brought out a " Century of Birds 

 from the Himalayan Mountains ;" and although the figures 

 are not equal to his subsequent drawings, they are yet very 

 valuable. He is now publishing a magnificent work ' The 

 Birds of Asia,' of which fourteen parts are completed. 



Francis Buchanan Hamilton had a large collection of 

 drawings, made by native artists, of the Vertebrated Classes, 

 with voluminous notes. The drawinsis, as well as the 

 MSS. notes, are deposited in the Library of the Asia- 

 tic Society of Calcutta; and copies of some of the 

 drawings appear to have been made use of in Griiy and 

 Hardwicke's Illustrations of Indian Zoology. The notes 

 bave been, in many instances, quoted by Horsfield in 

 his ' Catalogue of Birds,' from the copy in the Library of 

 the India House. A few coloured drawings, also by 



