PREFACE TO PART I. 



Reserving, until the completion of my duties as Editor, a 

 detailed introduction to this work, it is yet necessary for me 

 to prefix to the portion of it which first sees the light a few 

 words in explanation of my motives in pubhshing it. 



The late Mr. John Wolley, after spending nearly all his 

 life in the pursuit of Natural History, died, as is well 

 known to ornithologists, at the early age of thirty-six years. 

 Shortly before his death, he requested that his Oological Col- 

 lection, the formation of which had latterly been his chief occu- 

 pation, should be handed over to me ; and this wish was fully 

 carried out by his father. As soon as I heard of the desire 

 my deceased friend and fellow-traveller had expressed, I began 

 to consider how I could best make use of the valuable pro- 

 perty which was to be entrusted to me ; and after consulting on 

 the subject with Mr. P. L. Sclater, the Secretary of the Zoolo- 

 gical Society of London, I came to the conclusion that I should 

 be most advantageously serving the interest of Ornithology by 

 publishing from Mr. Wolley 's note-books a complete Catalogue 

 of the contents of his Egg-Cabinet. Mr. Wolley 's life had 

 been one of so active a nature, and his death was, until a few 

 weeks before it took place, so entirely unexpected, that he had 



