INTROD UCTOR Y. 



and the account of " what once was " may prove interesting. 

 Thanks to the notes which my father kept almost regularly for 

 the last fifteen years of his life, and which form the bulk of the 

 notes in this book, I have autJienticated observations of the bird- 

 life of Formby since the year 1870. These notes, collected by 

 one who was recognised as a skilled naturalist, have been very 

 valuable to me, and together with a deal of information which 

 I have gleaned from some of the older residents, such as 

 my old friend Mr.. Clarke, have been quite the very best helps 

 I could have received. Also to Mr. Mitchell, the author of 

 " The Birds of Lancashire," I am greatly indebted for the notes 

 on the rarer birds which have occurred in Formby and which 

 I have taken from his work. To many a local farmer and 

 fisherman am I indebted for his kind reminiscences, which on 

 many an occasion he has delighted me with. I only wish I 

 had space for half the amusing anecdotes which I have heard 

 from Formby fishermen. This is a chronicle of birds known to 

 have occurred in this district, and also of notes on the birds to 

 be found here ; some curious methods of obtaining wild fowl 

 in this part of the country are also explained, and I only hope 

 that when the reader has reached the last page he will not 

 condemn what is merely intended for a rough list of local 

 specimens. Before I close this necessary "preface," I must add 

 that though I have spent many and many a winter evening 

 searching through books bearing on the Natural History of our 

 county, notes from this particular district are very few and far 

 between. But by far the hardest task to me has been the 



