PREFACE. 
THE present volume deals with that large class of birds 
which, owing to the difficulty of approach occasioned by 
their aquatic habits, are in many ways not familiar. 
Field-work on the Ivish coast, carried out during more 
than twenty years, has been supplemented more recently 
by investigations into the avifauna of many other districts 
of the British sea-board, thus enabling descriptions from 
personal observation to be given of. many aspects of 
bird-hfe upon which much information is. still wanting. 
To make the accounts given as complete as_ possible, 
those sources have been gleaned from which are believed 
to be trustworthy, and the valuable works and papers of 
Barrington, Buckley, Evans, Hagle Clarke, Gray, Gurney, 
Harting, Harvie-Brown, Newton, Salvin, Saunders, Seebohm, 
Stevenson, Ussher, and Warren, and of many other writers 
whose names appear in the text, have been laid under 
contribution. 
In the case of nearly every bird reference has been 
made to coloured figures in standard works. Descriptive 
Characters have been given under a separate paragraph ; 
the headings Flight, Voice, Food, Nest, and Geographical 
Distribution, have been italicised to facilitate reference ; 
while at the end of each article Alhed Species and Repre- 
sentative Forms are mentioned. The eggs of most species 
are described with the nests and surroundings ; in articles 
dealing with very rare birds, where the habits are not 
described and only the occurrences recorded, the colour 
and number of eggs in the clutch are mentioned under 
Descriptive Characters. In all cases the size is given under 
Average Measurements. 
The majority of the Plates are original, and include 
photographic reproductions of birds, nests, and eggs, in their 
natural haunts; of various aspects of coast-scenery; of 
mounted specimens, chiefly from my private collection ; and 
of a few drawings in black and white, kindly lent by my 
Publisher. 
For contributions of original photographs I am indebted 
to Dr. N. H. Aleock, Mr. H. Brooke, Mr. C. B. M. Chambre, 
Mr. A. D. Delap, Mr. C. D. Head, Mr. W. D. Latimer, Mr. 
G. W. Nicholson, Mr. F. H. Walker, Mr. R. Welch, Dr. E. 
P. Wright, and Mr. R. J. Ussher; also to Dr. Wiglesworth 
