AUTHOR'S NOTE. 



In order to justify the appearance of another work on British Oology, I may say 

 that it is intended as an instalment towards supplying a want felt, I believe, by 

 many naturalists. In existing works, however excellent, on British Oology, the 

 figures of eggs assigned to each species are, as a whole, insufficient to show the 

 range of variation. There are several excellent works on European or General 

 Oology, giving a much larger range of varieties, but in these, and in the earlier 

 British works, the eggs of many species, unknown or unobtainable at the time of 

 publication, are not figured at all. Not having found any work embracing British 

 Oology which complied with the demands of naturalists in this matter of varieties, 

 I have attempted to supply the deficiency in the present work, so far as regards 

 the species it deals with. With the advantage of the great improvements now 

 made in chromo-lithography I have endeavoured to supply accurately coloured 

 figures of the eggs of the British Limicolee, in sufficient variety, where possible, 

 to enable the naturalist to form a good idea of what the eggs of each species 

 are really like. 



I have endeavoured, as far as possible, to quote authorities who write from 

 personal observation. By this means the text becomes, to a large extent, a 

 record of birds'-nesting adventures, and will, I think, be more readable and 

 trustworthy than if I had supplied a condensed account of the breeding-habits 

 of the various species. In this connection I hereby acknowledge my great 

 indebtedness to the various authors whose works and articles I have so freely laid 

 under contribution. 



In the preparation of my plates I am much indebted to Mr. Herbert Massey, 

 who has not only freely entrusted me with so many specimens from his splendid 

 collection, but has also been at great trouble in selecting, packing, and sending 



