AUTHORS PREFACE. 
In one or two instances only does the nomenclature used in the 
present volume differ from that followed in the fifth volume of the 
‘ Hand-list of the Genera and Species of Birds.’ The delay in the 
publication of the latter work greatly retarded the present volume 
of the Catalogue of Birds’ Eggs which was commenced in 1906, the 
year in which the late Dr. Sharpe hoped to complete his Hand-list. 
TLus it happened that in the first sheets of the present work 
(‘ B-K”) which were printed concurrently with the Hand-list, the 
date of that work is wrongly referred to as 1906; likewise in 
sheets ““L-N” and “P” it is again wrongly quoted as 1808. 
Dr. Sharpe, at that time in failing health, was unable to complete 
the work as quickly as he had anticipated and it was not until 1909, 
shortly before his death, that the fifth volume of the Hand-list was 
actually published. Since that time the extra amount of official 
duties which have fallen to my share has rendered the completion 
of the present volume a slow and somewhat difficult matter. 
During the progress of this volume through tho press several 
important collections of eggs have been added to the Museum series, 
the principal of these being the large and very valuable Palearctic 
collection presented by Mr. W. Radcliffe Saunders and the South 
American collection presented by Mr. Ernest Gibson, while many 
smaller but valuable series from the Andaman Islands, various 
parts of Africa, Australia, ete., have been acquired by purchase 
or exchange. 
The MS. for this velume was commenced years ago by the late 
< to) a 
Mr. E. W. Oates, but was never completed, and the great additions 
