PEEFACE. 



The following attempt to make some amends to the Members of the 

 British Ornithologists' Union for the thousand and one blunders contained 

 in a list of British Birds compiled by their committee^ for which 1, as one 

 of the seven delinquents, must bear my share of responsibility and blame, 

 does not pretend to be exempt from the universal liability to error. All it 

 can claim is that some pains have been taken to master the subject and 

 to weigh the balance of evidence in each case as impartially as possible. 



The attempt has been made to classify British Birds in three different 

 ways. Firstly, as to their distribution within the British Islands ; secondly, 

 as to their distribution during the breeding-season outside the British 

 Islands ; and thirdly, as to their climatic distribution during the breeding- 

 season. 



Finally, a list of British Birds has been added containing as much 

 information respecting the geographical distribution of each species as 

 could be compressed into four or five lines. This list is printed on one 

 side of the paper only, so that it can be cut up and used as labels for 

 collections of stuffed birds or eggs. 



H. S. 



