vi PREFACE. 



urged me to make public, and not lock away in the recesses 

 of my tesk. 



I have endeavoured to meet the requirements of South 

 African readers by confining my descriptions of species to 

 general appearance, and have not entered into scientific 

 details : these, ornithologists will find in the authors 

 quoted. 



The classification followed is that of Mr. G. R. GRAY, in 

 his " Genera of Birds ;" and the characters of Orders, Tribes, 

 Families, and Genera,* have been taken from that splendid 

 work. 



As regards identification of species, all those upon which 

 I have felt any doubt have been submitted to the critical 

 examination of my friends, Messrs. SCLATER and HartlauBi 

 to whom my best thanks are due for their patient kindness 

 in replying to the numerous questions with which I have 

 troubled them. I am also much indebted to Mr. G. R. 

 Gray, of the British Museum, and to Professor Newton, 

 of Cambridge, for much kind help and counsel. 



At the Cape, my thanks are due to many whose names 

 appear in these pages : to Mrs. Barber, to Messrs. W. and 

 T. Atmore, W. Cairncross, D. Arnot, J. Chapman, C. 

 J. Andersson, H. Jackson and his brother, my late 

 lamented friend, Arthur Jackson, of Nel's Poort, now, 

 alas ! no more, and many others. 



With all these friends a most interesting correspondence 

 has been maintained, from which much of my information 

 is acquired. I think I have duly credited each with his 

 share. I have but to add, that, owing to the enlightened 

 influence of His Excellency, Sir George Grey, our then 

 Governor, and His Excellency, Mr. Rawson, now Governor 



* With the exception of those founded by Swainson, whose own curt, vigorous 

 descriptions ar used. 



