PREFACE 



I SHOULD like to explain that this work, being, 

 with one or two insignificant exceptions, a record of 

 my own observations only, it has not been my in- 

 tention to make general statements in regard to the 

 habits of any particular bird. In practice, however, 

 it is often difficult to write as if one were not doing 

 this, without its having a very clumsy effect. One 

 cannot, for instance, always say, " I have seen birds 

 fly." One has to say, upon occasions, "Birds fly." 

 Moreover, it is obvious that in much of the more 

 important business of bird - life, one would be fully 

 justified in arguing from the particular to the general : 

 perhaps (though this is not my opinion) one would 

 always be. But, whether this is the case or not, I 

 wish it to be understood that, throughout, a remark 

 that any bird acts in such or such a way means, merely, 

 that I have, on one or more occasions, seen it do so. 

 Also, all that I have seen which is included in this 

 volume was noted down by me either just after it 

 had taken place or whilst it actually was taking place ; 

 the quotations (except when literary or otherwise ex- 

 plicitly stated) being always from my own notes so 

 made. For this reason I call my work " Bird Watch- 

 ing," and I hope that the title will explain, and even 

 justify, a good deal which in itself is certainly a want 



