P K E F A C E. 



At the request of his widow, I have undertaken the task of editing a reprint of the 

 ornithological writings of the late Marquis of Tweeddale, which have from time to time 

 appeared in various scientific publications. 



The work, though melancholy, has been a double pleasure to me, inasmuch as I have 

 felt that, being the individual to whom he thought fit to bequeath his valuable collections 

 and library, I was the proper person to undertake it. Moreover I have thus been enabled 

 to pay a tribute, however small, to the memory of him who was so dear to me. 



It is encouraging to feel that such a work as is now produced will prove of use to 

 the student of ornithology, who will in future be able to consult all the writings of the Author 

 within the limits of one volume, instead of having to search through numerous journals and 

 magazines. 



In order to facilitate the quotation of the original references, I have introduced in 

 this reprint, in the form of marginal notes, exact references to the original work. In using 

 these references it must be remembered that they are placed opposite to the line in which 

 the first word of a page of the original occurs, except in a few cases in which the word 

 occurs at the end of a line, when the reference has been placed opposite the next line. 



This work is an accurate copy of the original writings, and may therefore be safely 

 quoted. The only instances in which the original t(;xt has been altered are in the case of 

 obvious misprints, orthographical errors, or where I have found corrections in the Author s 

 handwriting. I have deemed it more advisable to leave the text as much as possible as in 

 the original, notwithstanding the varied orthography of scientific titles thus introduced, 

 which was inevitable in writings extending over so many years. 



