PREFACE. 



IN the Preface to the second volume, a change in the 

 original plan of the ' Birds ' was announced. It was still 

 proposed to complete the work in three volumes, but as the 

 second was shorter than usual it was announced that the 

 deficiency would be made good in the third, which would 

 contain descriptions of all Indian birds except Passeres. As 

 the work progressed, however, further modification became 

 necessary, as it was evident that the proposed third volume 

 would be of inconvenient size, and it has now been decided 

 to divide it into two. The birds will therefore occupy four 

 volumes instead of three, and of these the third is herewith 

 published. The fourth volume is in preparation and a 

 considerable portion is written. The publishing price of the 

 last three is reduced, so that the cost of the whole work is 

 only increased by a very small amount. 



Mr. Gates, after writing the two volumes containing the 

 descriptions of the Passeres, was obliged to return to his 

 appointment in India, as explained in the Preface to the 

 second volume. The continuation of the ' Birds ' has been 

 left in my hands, and I have endeavoured to keep the work 

 uniform in general plan, and to render the change of author- 

 ship as little conspicuous as possible ; but I fear there are 

 many, besides myself, who will see cause for regret that the 

 able ornithologist who commenced the work was prevented 

 by circumstances from finishing it. 



The birds of which descriptions appear in the present 

 volume are the Eurylsemi, the various groups known col- 

 lectively as Picarian or non- Passerine perching birds, the 

 Parrots, and the nocturnal and diurnal Birds of Prey. Thus 

 the first three volumes of the present work correspond to 

 the first two of Jerdon's, and contain the same families of 

 Birds, though differently arranged. 



The question of the system to be employed in dividing the 

 Birds of India into Orders did not present itself in the first 

 two volumes, which were occupied by the Passeres, now 



