INTRODUCTORY NOTE *V 



general reference prefixed by the abbreviation cf. is given. These 

 sections have already appeared in " A Hand-List of British Birds," 

 but have since been thoroughly revised and brought up to date. 



MIGRATIONS. The accounts of the migratory movements are 

 based on those given in the " Hand-List of British Birds," but have 

 been thoroughly revised in the light of fresh material that has been 

 gathered since in the " Reports of the Migration Committee of the 

 British Ornithologists' Club," the annual " Reports on Scottish 

 Ornithology," and Mr. Eagle Clarke's " Studies of Bird Migration." 

 In some species new sections on this subject have been added, and 

 in most cases extreme dates within which the various movements 

 have been known to begin and end have been added, and it is 

 hoped that these will prove useful. Owing to exigencies of space 

 much detail cannot be given, so that the accounts must not be 

 taken as indicating more than an outline of the chief movements 

 undertaken by each species. 



AUTHORS. The authors of the various sections when unsigned are 

 as below, and where any other author has written a particular 

 section the name of that author will appear either at the beginning 

 or at the end of the section for which he is responsible. Each of 

 the authors mentioned in the following list has also revised the 

 proof-sheets of the whole work. 



Keys, Descriptions of Orders, j 



Families and Genera I E. HARTERT. 



Nomenclature 



Descriptions, Characters and ) _ 

 Allied Forms (unsigned) j H ' * 



Descriptions, Characters and i 

 Allied Forms of Ducks, . p 

 Waders and probably other 

 groups (all signed) J 



{C. OLDHAM, 

 except where otherwise 

 stated. 



Breeding-habits | F c R J OTJRDAIN . 



Food J 



