INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 5 
and, so far as separately-published works and papers in the 
best-known Natural History periodicals are concerned, it is, I 
believe, all that it professes to be; but there are many local 
lists and other observations on British Birds which Dr. Coues 
has overlooked, owing to their having appeared in out-of-the- 
way places, while many volumes and articles have appeared 
since his work was published. 
I have not endeavoured to make my present catalogue a 
competitor with, or a supplement to, Dr. Coues’ List, as I have 
worked on different lines altogether. In the first place, my 
list is arranged topographically, while his is arranged chrono- 
logically. In the second place, I have included only public- 
tions which are local or topographical, while he includes all 
kinds of publications. In the third place, I have brought my 
own list up to date, while the other ends with 1879. Therefore, 
it will be seen that, although the two lists each contain a great 
many entries which appear in the other, the lines on which the 
two lists have been compiled are entirely different. 
I have been taken to task by more than one good naturalist 
for having arranged my items according to political, rather than 
natural, divisions. I maintain, however, that the course I have 
adopted is the right one. I regard the present list merely as a 
means towards an end—that end being the ultimate mapping-out 
of the exact distribution of each British Bird.’ This mapping-out 
should, of course, be done with regard to the natural divisions ; 
but so much of the work which goes to make such a mapping- 
out possible, has been done with regard only to political bound- 
aries (such as those of counties) that there was little or no 
alternative but to compile the present list in the form I have 
adopted. 
Surprise will, I think, be felt at the extraordinarily-large 
number of “ Local Lists ” which it has been found possible to in- 
clude within the somewhat-narrow lines of the present Catalogue. 
The number certainly shows in a very effective manner the great 
activity of British ornithologists, and indicates that, when the 
actual mapping-out of the exact Geographical Distribution of 
each species comes to be undertaken, it will be possible to accom- 
plish it with a very near approach indeed to precision. 
The catalogue will, of course, indicate at a glance those 
counties whose avi-fauna has received most attention; but it may 
