IV PREFACE. 



are in my own collection ; and others I have seen 

 either in the flesh or only recently skinned in the 

 birdstuffers' shops. For a few, of course, I have 

 been obliged to rely on the evidence of others ; 

 some of these may appear, perhaps, rather ques- 

 tionable, as, for instance, the Osprey, but I have 

 always given what evidence I have been able to 

 collect in each case ; and where evidence of the 

 occurrence was altogether wanting, I have thought 

 it better to omit all mention of the bird, though its 

 occasional occurrence may seem possible. 



I have confined myself in this list to the Birds of 

 Guernsey and the neighbouring islands Sark, 

 Alderney* Jethou and Herm ; in fact to the islands 

 included in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. I have done 

 this as I have had no opportunity of personally 

 studying the birds of Jersey, only having been in 

 that island once some years ago, and then only for 

 a short time, and not because I think a notice of 

 the birds of Jersey would have been devoid of 

 interest, though whether it would have added many 

 to my list may be doubtful. Professor Ansted's list, 

 included in his large and very interesting work on 

 the Channel Islands, is hitherto the only attempt at 

 a regular list of the Birds of the Channel Islands ; 

 but as he, though great as a geologist, is no orni- 

 thologist, he was obliged to rely in a great measure 

 on information received from others, and this 

 apparently was not always very reliable, and he 



