PREFACE. 



White of Selbourne has somewhere expressed 

 the gratification which would be afforded to him by 

 a sight of the hirundines of the " hot and distant 

 island" of Jamaica. We know, in fact, exceeding- 

 ly little of the hiography of tropical animals — of 

 those details of their habits, which are to be 

 known only by a close and continued observation 

 of them in their woodland homes. The present 

 volume may perhaps contribute an acceptable item 

 to the amount of information, derived, as it is, 

 entirely from original investigation. Nearly two 

 hundred species of birds are thus ascertained to 

 belong to the Jamaica Fauna, though of several of 

 these, the author can give only indications more or 

 less precise. He cannot doubt that many species 

 have escaped the researches both of himself and 

 his friends, especially among the migrant visi- 

 tors. The valuable assistance, however, of a 

 resident Ornithologist, whose notes pervade this 

 volume, and to whom he would here express his 

 deep gratitude, have greatly diminished the omis- 

 sions which must otherwise have been unavoid- 

 able. 



Perhaps a word of apology may be thought need- 

 ful for the minuteness with which the author has 



