vi Preface. 



by Mr. Ogilvie Grant, and published by 

 order of the Trustees, is a valuable work, 

 and contains an account of all the Land 

 Game Birds of the world, but it is of too 

 technical a character to be of use to the 

 mere sportsman. 



A work of the same scope by the 

 same author, but in a somewhat popular 

 form, (a Handbook to the Game-Birds,) 

 forming one of the series of "Allen's 

 Naturalist's Library," has quite recently 

 been published. This work is, however, 

 too comprehensive for the requirements 

 of the resident in India. 



The forthcoming final volume of the 

 Birds, in the " Fauna of British India," by 

 Dr. W. T. Blanford, will include the Game 

 Birds. This work is far too technical, 

 however, for the ordinary sportsman, and 

 moreover embraces other groups of birds 

 with which the latter has no concern. 



Altogether it seems to me that a small, 

 handy manual, such as I have written, is 

 required to bring our knowledge of the 

 Indian Game Birds up to date and to suit 



