PREFACE. 



In the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, of January, 1896, the 

 late Mr. A. J. North, Ornithologist to the Australian Museum, commenced a 

 series of papers under the title of " A List of the Insectivorous Birds of 

 New South Wales," which appeared at irregular intervals in 1896, 1897, 

 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1905. The list comprised brief descriptions of 160 

 birds, and was illustrated with a number of lithographic plates in colours. 

 Three parts were afterwards issued separately, but such was the demand 

 that the supply was soon exhausted. So many inquiries were made concern- 

 ing the articles that it was decided to issue a second series. The editor at 

 that time of the Agricultural Gazette, Mr. J. E. O'Grady, undertook the work of 

 the letterpress and the plates were copied from the figures in Gould's great 

 folio work " Handbook of the Birds of Australia" and reproduced by the 

 three-colour process. This series commenced in the April number of the 

 Gazette, 1910. In 1912 Mr. O'Grady severed his connection with the 

 Department of Agriculture, and I was asked to supply the letterpress and 

 supervise the preparation of the plates of this second series. October, 1915, 

 saw the conclusion of the series, designed at that period for republishing in 

 the form of a bulletin. The conditions affecting the output of all publications 

 during the war period has deferred their reappearance until now. 



To make the work uniform I have added a chapter on bird protection 

 and allied questions, and have rewritten the letterpress contributed in the 

 first place by Mr. O'Grady. The plates for the present work were printed 

 at the same time as those for the Agricultural Gazette some years ago, and 

 the names (popular and specific) were worked at the same time. T t has been 

 deemed advisable in the letterpress, however, to adopt in some cases a later 

 nomenclature. 



The popular and scientific name of each species, and the page reference 

 ;to Gould's "Handbook of the Birds of Australia" (a standard authority) 

 has been given ; and for the field naturalist, for whom this book has been 

 chiefly prepared, a reference to Leach's " Bird Book " has also been added. 

 Among the works consulted in the compilation of this book, the following 

 may be mentioned in particular : " Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds " 

 {A. J. Campbell), vols. 1-11, 1901; "The Useful Birds of Southern 

 Australia" (Robert Hall), 1907; "Key to the Birds of Australia and 

 Tasmania" (Robert Hall), 1899; ''Wanderings of a Bush Naturalist" 

 {J. Wheelright), 1861 : "Handbook of the Birds of Australia" (J. Gould), 

 vol. 1-11, 1865; "Voyage to New South Wales" (John White), 1790, in 

 which a number of plates of birds are given with brief descriptions ; " Birds 

 of New Holland" (John Lewin), 1822, in which hand-coloured plates of 

 many of our birds are given ; " An Australian Bird Book " (Dr. J. A Leach, 

 1911), a pocket-book for field use ; " Nests and Eggs of Birds found Breeding 

 in Australia and Tasmania" (A. J. North), 1889, catalogue No. 12, Aus- 

 tralian Museum. 



W. W. F. 



