PREFACE. 



ALTHOUGH the urgent need for compression has prohibited 

 the author from presenting this work as a complete natural 

 history of British Birds, yet he believes that as a handy 

 textbook for reference it has had as yet no rivals. It has 

 been brought up to date as far as possible, every species 

 on the British list having been included, and nearly all 

 described, while the records of the rarer species have been 

 carefully collected, and in the case of the common species 

 a tolerably complete life -history has been given. The 

 numbering of the genera and species will also probably 

 prove of service. 



The length of a bird is (unless otherwise stated) 

 measured from the base of bill to tip of tail, all measure- 

 ments being in inches and hundredth - parts. The 

 description first given is (unless expressly mentioned) 

 that of a bird in breeding plumage, but the seasonal 

 changes, if appreciable, are added. The habitat may 

 be taken as meaning the region inhabited during the 

 breeding season, but the winter range of migratory species 

 has usually been added. If brackets enclose a describer's 

 name they indicate that the generic name adopted is not 

 that used by the describer. 



The classification and nomenclature practically accord 

 with those of the " List of British Birds " compiled by a 

 Committee of the British Ornithologists' Union (1883), 



567 



