NOTE vi 
‘Classification of Birds.’ These figures were drawn by that 
admirable ornithological delineator, and most of them for truth 
of detail or beauty of design have seldom been equalled and 
rarely surpassed. I am also indebted to the kindness of Sir 
Walter Buller, K.C.M.G., F.R.S., for the use of electrotypes of 
woodcuts executed for his ‘ Birds of New Zealand, as well as 
to the Publication Committee of the Zoological Society of 
London, to the Trustees of the British Museum, and to Dr. 
William Francis and Mr. Maxwell Masters, F.R.S., for their 
consent to the reproduction of other figures, which will be 
found duly acknowledged in the following pages. 
Lastly, I would say that the alphabetical order has been 
deliberately adopted in preference to the taxonomic because I 
entertain grave doubt of the validity of any systematic arrange- 
ment as yet put forth, some of the later attempts being in my 
opinion among the most fallacious, and a good deal worse than 
those they are intended to supersede. That in a few directions 
an approach to improvement has been made is not to be denied ; 
but how far that approach goes is uncertain. I only see that 
mistakes are easily made, and I have no wish to mislead others 
by an assertion of knowledge which I know no one to possess ; 
yet with all these drawbacks and shortcomings I trust that this 
Dictionary will aid a few who wish to study Ornithology in a 
scientific spirit, as well as many who merely regard its pursuit 
as a pastime, while I even dare indulge the hope that persons 
indifferent to the pleasures of Natural History, except when 
highly-coloured pictures are presented to them by popular 
writers, may find in it some corrective to the erroneous impres- 
sions commonly conveyed by sciolists posing as instructors. 
A. N. 
CampripcE, March 1893. 
