hy the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch Neio Guinea. 77 



of the birds for the information of the Members of the 

 B. O. U. and the other subscribers towards the expenses of 

 tlie Expedition. 



Our knowledge of the Birds of New Guinea is based 

 mainly on Count T. Salvadori's monumental work 'Orni- 

 tologia della Papuasia e delle Molluchej' which appeared in 

 three large volumes in 1880—82, and on his ' Aggiunte' to 

 the above work published in three parts in 1889-91. Since 

 that date our knowledge of the avifauna has vastly increased, 

 and a very large number of splendid Birds-of-Paradise and 

 other remarkable new species have been discovered. 



A list of the principal works subsequently published, 

 placed in chronological order, will be found at the end of 

 this article, the most important papers being no doubt 

 those by the Hon. Walter Rothschild and Dr. E. Hartert, 

 which have apjieared from time to time in the Tring 

 Museum periodical, 'Novitates Zoologicse.' Mr. Rothschild 

 is to be congratulated on the success which has attended 

 the efforts of his various collectors in New Guinea, and on 

 the energy which be has displayed in obtaining birds from 

 the unknown districts of the most interesting island in the 

 world. 



To give in a single chapter a brief and partly scientific, 

 partly popular, summary of the ornithological work accom- 

 plished by our Expedition in Dutch New Guinea is a more 

 ditficult task than might be imagined, for there is not only 

 an immense number of species to be dealt with, but in most 

 instances very little is known about their habits. The 

 jungles of South-western New Guinea are so dense that 

 white men can scarcely traverse them, and most of the 

 collecting had to be done by the trained natives from the 

 Malay Peninsula, kindly supplied by Mr. H. C. Robinson, 

 and by the Gurkhas who accompanied the Expedition. 



By dealing with each family in turn, I shall endeavour to 

 refer to all the more important species in the collection in 

 their proper scientific order, briefly describing some of the 



