

PREFACE. 



THE following Catalogue of THE BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 

 was commenced eleven years ago, for my own information, 

 and without any idea of its ever being before the public. 

 On my arrival at the Cape, in December, 1854, I inquired in 

 vain for any book which would give some insight into the 

 ornithology of the country in which my lot had been cast. 

 I was shown LE VAILLANT'S " Oiseaux D'Afrique," and 

 Dr. A. SMITH'S "Illustrations of the Zoology of South 

 Africa;" but these visibly bore the stamp of incomplete- 

 ness. I therefore commenced to form a catalogue for 

 myself, and waded through whole libraries of works on 

 South African travel, gleaning here and there a name ; but 

 found myself still far from a complete list. Our Public 

 Library supplied me with the works of SHAW, LATHAM, 

 and the older writers ; and as descriptions and names of 

 reputed South African birds came to hand, I wrote them 

 on separate sheets of paper, adding from time to time my 

 own notes on species obtained. I mention this in order to 

 account for the broken and disjointed style which is appa- 

 rent throughout the work. At length my MSS. grew to 

 considerable proportions, and I found myself in possession 

 of a mass of information, which many kind friends, with 

 whom I had been corresponding on ornithological subjects, 



