PREFATORY NOTE. 



THE present volume contains an account of 183 species of 

 birds included in the orders Picarise, Psittaci, Striges and 

 Accipitres. For the contents of this volume I am alone 

 responsible, although I have been able to make use of the late 

 Dr. Stark's note books and journals. I must again thank my 

 many friends and correspondents for help freely and generously 

 rendered, and especially am I indebted to Mr. A. D. Millar of 

 Durban, to Mr. Ivy of Grahamstown, and to Mr. John Wood 

 of East London. As in previous volumes the illustrations 

 with a few exceptions have all been drawn specially for this 



i k by the skilful hand of Mr. Gronvold. The photograph of 

 the Pied Kingfisher on page 75, was kindly lent to me by Mr. 

 H. E. Harris. For the use of the blocks of figures 62 and 68, 

 prepared from photographs given me by Mr. Ivy, I am 

 indebted to the editors of " The Ibis " ; while the photographs 

 of the nests of the Sea Eagle on page 313, and of the South 

 African Harriers on pages 377 and 378, were given to me for 

 purposes of reproduction by Mr. A. D. Millar and Captain 

 Moore of the Army Pay Department respectively. As the 

 volumes previously issued dealt only with the single order of 

 Passeres I have here thought it worth while to ^append an 

 artificial key of the rest of the Orders of Birds in order to 

 assist the tyro to determine the position of an unknown form 

 in the classification here adopted. 



W. L. S. 



