-PREFACE. 



During several years spent in collecting zoological 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. Lists 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 : 



MARTENS, E. V.: [Title not seen] Jour, filr 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, pis. 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). 



ELEBA, 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. V. S. Nat. Mus. Washington (1898), 20, 549-566. 



MCGREGOR, R. C. and WORCESTER, D. C. : A Hand-List of the Birds of the Philip- 

 pine Islands. Bur. Govt. Labs. Manila (1906), No. 36, 1-121. 



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