PREFACE. 



On completing the concluding number- of the first 

 volume of the Fifth Series of ' The Ibis,' the Editors 

 are much pleased to be able to say that neither in 

 quantity nor, as they believe, in quality have the 

 various contributions with which they have been 

 favoured fallen short of the average of the twenty- 

 four preceding volumes. They trust that the support 

 thus accorded to them may be continued during the 

 future progress of the Journal. 



As regards the notices of new works, the Editors 

 W'ish it to be clearly understood that they only un- 

 dertake to furnish short accounts of the ornithological 

 papers and books of which they receive copies ; but 

 they will do their best to give notices of other im- 

 portant ornithological publications which come to 

 their knowledge, except memoirs published in such 

 easily accessible journals as the ' Proceedings of the 

 Zoological Society of London,' the 'Journal fiir Orni- 

 thologie,' and other periodicals of this class. Of such 

 memoirs, however, abstracts will also usually be 



