INTRODUCTION 



It is many years since I first heard of the fame of 

 Mr. A. H. Chisholm, who has honored me with a 

 request to write a preface for his book on birds. I 

 say "honored" because he might easily have found a 

 man capable of writing a worthier preface than mine 

 to such a worthy book. I value the compliment the 

 more, because it was mainly through the writings 

 of Mr. Chisholm that I began to take an interest 

 in Australian birds, discovering a new pleasure, and 

 one that will always endure. 



Many books have now been written about Aus- 

 tralian birds. I suppose nearly all these books are 

 chiefly of interest to the scientist, who delights in 

 naming a live bird in a dead language. But, by the 

 layman amongst bird lovers whose interest is no 

 less keen because non-scientific such a book as 

 Mateship with Birds will be most heartily welcomed. 



Although, in regard to the scientific aspect, Mr. 

 Chisholm is generally regarded as one of the fore- 

 most authorities upon birds in Australia, he is not 

 content with mere classification and tabulation. 

 This book of his has been, in a sense, an inspiration. 

 Not only will it be of great interest to the bird lover 

 and the bird observer, but many a man who hitherto 

 has taken little interest in such things will find here 

 new interests and fresh delights. Even he, whose 

 only acquaintance with birds has been amongst 

 sparrows of the city streets, and an occasional 

 pigeon or blackbird, will discover unexpected enter- 



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