PREFACE. 
During several years spent in collecting zodlogical specimens in the 
Philippine Islands the author has constantly experienced the need of a 
book containing descriptions of the Philippine birds. That others have 
felt the same want is evident from the many requests for literature 
received. Jists of Philippine birds * have been published from time to 
time but they contain no descriptions and are of use to those only who 
have a considerable library at hand. 
The Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum contains descriptions 
of most of the known species of birds and these include very many of 
the Philippine species but the bulk of its 27 volumes would preclude the 
use of this work in the field even if its rarity and cost were not prohib- 
itory. Thus there is an almost total lack of adequate means for identify- 
ing Philippine birds which has been a serious check to activity and interest 
in ornithological work throughout the Islands. 
To meet this need and to place descriptions of the birds inhabiting the 
Philippines in a convenient form for the use of local naturalists the 
present work has been prepared. ‘Technical terms and references to 
internal structure have been avoided as far as possible although this 
method weakens, to some extent, the keys.and diagnoses of the higher 
groups. The diagnoses of orders, families, and genera being drawn from 
Philippine species may or may not define these groups as represented 
outside of the Archipelago. 
The actual material which has been available for study consists of 
* The most important of these lists are the following: 
MartTENS, E. V.: [Title not seen] Jour. fiir Ornith. (1866), 8-31. 
WALDEN, Viscount: A List of Birds Known to Inhabit the Philippine Archipelago. 
Trans. Zool. Soc. London (1875), 9, pt. 2, 125-252, pls. 23-34. 
Ramsay, R. G. W.: Revised List of the Birds Known to Occur in the Philippine 
Islands, Showing their Geographical Distribution. Appendix, pp. 653-660, 
to the Ornithological Works of Arthur, Ninth Marquis of Tweeddale. London 
(1881). 
EveRA, R. P. Fr. Casto de: Aves. Catalogo Sistematico de toda la Fauna de 
Filipinas. Manila (1895), 1, 52-398. 
Worcester, D. C. and Bourns, F. S.: A List of the Birds Known to Inhabit the 
Philippine and Palawan Islands, Showing their Distribution within the Limits 
of the Two Groups. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Washington (1898), 20, 549-566. 
McGrecor, R. C. and Worcester, D. C.: A Hand-List of the Birds of the Philip- 
q pine Islands. Bur. Govt. Labs. Manila (1906), No. 36, 1-121. 
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