1 ^\ V <Ls 



rREF ACE. 



The Two-hundred-and-sixth Number of 'The Ibis 

 completes the Fifty-third Volume of our Jourual, 

 leaving only one more volume required to finish the 

 Ninth Series. Few peridicals, we believe, devoted to 

 special subjects have lasted for so long a time, though 

 we must not forget that the 'Journal fiir Ornithologie ' 

 started in 1853. The British Ornithologists' Union 

 is fortunate in increasing the number of its Members 

 every year and consequently in augmenting the 

 resources of its Journal. 



The most important events connected with our 

 branch of Science that have taken place during the 

 past year have been the return of the Expedition sent 

 under the auspices of the British Ornithologists' 

 Union to New Guinea, and the donation of the 

 " Alexander " Collection to the British Museum. 

 We have duly chronicled these events in the 

 pages of ' The Ibis,' but may repeat that the 

 Alexander Collection (see above, p. 187) contains 

 about 4,000 skins, among which are the types of all 



