4 INTRODUCTION. 



Lists of birds, generally speaking, have very few dates 

 appended; the exact localities where a species may be found 

 are seldom indicated ; the period.- of migration is also not often 

 stated. "Breeds plentifully," " appears in winter," "a regular 

 visitant," " abundant in spring," such are usually the vague 

 remarks given with each species. 



Many of the ornithological papers in periodicals and journals 

 are written up from one or two passing visits, often very 

 short ones ; and some of the writers possess a power of vision 

 truly astonishing. They see a bird in the distance, imagine 

 it to belong to a certain species, at last believe it to be 

 such, and end by placing the name in their note-book, to appear 

 in due time in print. 



The only way to avoid such errors is never to include any 

 bird in a list except when actually obtained and identified. 

 It often happens, also, that the bird seen and included is one 

 which it would be quite impossible to distinguish from another 

 closely allied species without handling them both. 



These remarks may, no doubt, appear very invidious ; but 

 it is want of accuracy in such matters which renders utterly 

 futile any attempt to make out the distribution of birds. 



Local names, often trivial and unimportant, must generally 

 be accepted cum grano salis ; for, unless long resident and 

 conversant with the language of the country, the compiler is 

 apt to fall into the same class of errors as those of the celebrated 

 Count Smorltork, who would probably have written the English 

 name of the Curlew according to the story told of a gunner 

 in the Eastern Counties, who, when asked by a portly old 

 citizen, " What do you call those birds I " replied, " Bless you, 

 Curlews we generally calls 'em ; but when we're vexed with 

 'em, we calls 'em beggars." These vernacular names are most 

 useful, of course, in the case of the more common species, 

 and in Andalucia are, in many instances, of Arabic derivation, 

 relics of the Moorish occupation and of days when under their 



