INTRODUCTION. 25 
obligation to so many friends and correspondents, it is 
impossible for us to mention all here, but we have 
acknowledged help individually in every case when 
treating of the separate species. Our special thanks 
are due to Mr. R. Newstead of the Grosvenor Museum, 
Chester, and Mr. C. Madeley of the Warrington Museum, 
for their unvarying courtesy in furnishing us with in- 
formation relative to the collections under their charge; 
to Colonel Dixon of Astle and Mr. R. Nunnerley of 
Congleton, for their kindness in allowing us access 
to their private collections of local birds; to the Rev. 
H. G. Barnacle for the loan of the author’s copy of 
A Sketch of the History of the Church at Holmes 
Chapel, which contains a manuscript list of the birds 
observed in that district; to Mr. Sydney O’Hanlon for 
taking the photographs from which our illustrations 
are reproduced; and to Mr. Francis Nicholson for 
looking over our manuscript and making many valu- 
able suggestions. 
