iv PREFACE. 



At the end of the volume will be found an Appendix, containing : — 



(1) A complete list of the Birds of the Philippine Archipelago, so far as is at present 



known, which has been compiled almost entirely from the writings of the Author, the 

 ornithology of that group of islands having occupied his chief attention during the 

 last few years of his life. 



(2) Descriptions of new species of Birds from Burma by the Author, which could not 



be incorporated in this work, inasmuch as they only occur in the form of editorial 

 notes to the posthumous " Catalogue of the Birds of Burma." by Edward Blyth, 

 which appeared in an extra number of part 2 of the ' Journal of the Asiatic Society 

 of Bengal' for 1875. 



(3) A complete list, in the form of an index, of all the species described as new by the 



Author ; to which is added a list of species described by Messrs. Jerdon and Blyth 

 in the ' Madras Journal' (1845) and the 'Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal' 

 (1845-46) respectively, from the manuscript of " Lord Arthur Hay." 



(4) A list of species of which illustrations are given in. the original papers. 



(o) A paper on the habits of the Indian Boa, which Avas published in the ' Madras 

 Journal' (1847), and which is, so far as I have been able to discover, the only paper 

 on any other subject tlian ornithology from the pen of the Author which has appeared 

 in any scientific publication. 



Our cordial thanks are offered to the proprietors of the various journals in wliich the 

 following papers occur, for their courtesy in granting permission to reprint them and to 

 use the woodcuts ; and also to Mr. "William Howard Russell, to whom w^e are indebted for the 

 sketch of the Author's life, which contributes so much to the interest of the volume. 



If this work should prove as useful as is confidently expected, it will be a source of 

 gratification to those who mourn his loss, and who trust that it will in some degree induce others 

 to embrace a subject fraught \\ith so much interest, and to endeavour to raise themselves to 

 as high a standard in the science as was attained by the Author of these writings. 



ROBERT G. ^^■ARDLAW RAMSAY. 

 Whitchill, 18S1. 



