PREFACE. 



EVERY ornithologist who, in the course of his career, may be 

 called upon to write a book upon British Birds, will always find 

 this to be one of the most interesting, but certainly one of the 

 most difficult, tasks which he has ever undertaken. He is sure 

 to discover that not only is the path well-worn, but that 

 the work of his many predecessors has been so well done that 

 little chance of originality remains to him. No country in the 

 world has had more excellent books written about its birds 

 than Great Britain, whether we consider illustrated works, 

 such as those of Selby and Gould, or the attractive " Coloured 

 Figures of British Birds," now being published by Lord Lil- 

 ford ; or the many exhaustive books on the life-histories of 

 our native birds, such as those of Macgillivray, Yarrell, and 

 others ; or the excellent works on eggs published by Hewitson 

 and Seebohm. 



Of the two leading publications on the subject, viz., those 

 of Macgillivray and Yarrell, the palm for scientific merit must 

 be given to that of the Scotch naturalist, and the increasing 

 value of his works, day by day and year by year, testifies to an 

 appreciation of his labour which would have gladdened and 

 cheered him in his work, had such regard been bestowed upon 

 him during his lifetime. The popularity of Yarrell's " History 

 of British Birds," with its exquisite little woodcuts, completely 

 eclipsed the more modest publication of Macgillivray, and it 



