Introduction xvii. 



the native inhabitants, is proverbial and unfaihng. To add to the 

 pleasure and interest of such travel the varied aspect and scenery 

 of the Regency contributes largely ; richly wooded mountains and 

 valleys, with fertile plains relieved by lakes and rivers, being chai'ac- 

 teristic of the more northern districts, lower hills and picturesque 

 undulating park-like country predominating in the Central region, 

 and vast semi-desert prairie-like plains, bounded by savage and richly 

 coloured mountains in the south. To the archfeologist the Regency 

 specially commends itself by reason of the numerous remains of 

 important and magnificent monuments, which are to be found 

 throughout the entire length and breadth of the country, traces of 

 pre-historic, Phoenician, Punic, and particularly Roman occupation, 

 being abundant, and attesting to the former greatness of the Kingdom. 



Returning to our subject, I would say that of the above number 

 of species and subspecies of birds treated of in the present work about 

 150 are resident, and to be found in the Regency throughout the 

 entire year ; of the remainder about 90 may be considered as summer 

 migrants, appearing in spring and disappearing in autumn ; 90 may be 

 regarded as winter migrants, arriving in autumn and departing in 

 spring ; while about 35 species are of occasional or accidental 

 occurrence. 



The sj'stematic arrangement and nomenclature followed in this 

 work are more or less in accordance with those observed by Mr. 

 Dresser in his "Birds of Europe," which in their turn are based on 

 Huxley's classification, or rather on Dr. Sclater's modification of it, 

 and those of the " List of British Birds" compiled by a Committee of 

 the British Ornithologists' Union. The two do not greatly differ from 

 each other, and for the present perhaps, may be considered as good as 

 any other. 



I have, however, deviated therefrom, when I have thouglit it 

 advisable, and particularly in using trinomials in the case of local 

 forms, or subspecies, although making a point of preserving the 

 binomial names of species intact, as I do not think it right that they 

 should be tampered with, or that a species should be degraded to the 

 level or rank of a subspecies, simply because other forms of that 

 species happen to have been subsequently discovered. It is true that 

 the species may be no better than its forms, or that it may not have 

 existed before them, but as it was discovered first, it should have 

 priority over those other forms. If priority counts for anything. 



