xvi INTRODUCTION. 



acquainted. The courtesy of Mr. Edward Hart in 

 replying to my inquiries, and in furnishing me with 

 the history of the rarer birds in his beautiful museum 

 at Christchurch, many of which were procured in 

 Dorsetshire, also deserves recognition at my hands ; 

 while in addition, I have to thank many other 

 correspondents, whose names are mentioned in the 

 following pages, for communications of which I have 

 gladly availed myself. 



In the few wood engravings which are scattered 

 throughout the volume, and which have been drawn 

 and engraved by Mr. G. E. Lodge, I have selected 

 for illustration some of the rarer or more remarkable 

 birds, which, either as residents or accidental visi- 

 tants, have been met with in the county of Dorset. 



The " View in the Swannery " at Abbotsbury, 

 which forms the frontispiece to this volume, was 

 photographed during the summer of 1887, and has 

 been reproduced by the " Meisenbach " process. 



