42 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY 
I found that I had, among other things, a collection of six 
hundred and fifty specimens of birds, a hundred or so of their 
egos, sundry nests, and a note-book full of very rough notes 
which I had made about the Avifauna. On hearing of this, 
Mr. Hume advised me to write out a paper on the subject; and 
to enable me to do so, very kindly looked over all my birds and 
identified them for me. This contribution is the result. 
In this account I have given only my own notes and have 
not referred to authorities. No one can be more conscious 
than I am that this attempt is not complete ; but, at all events, 
it is “mine own.” For the two maps which illustrate this 
paper, I am greatly indebted to my friend Captain Water- 
house. The larger map of the two illustrates very well. the 
natural features of the country with which I have to deal; 
while the smaller sketch map shows the position of various 
distant places which I have to refer to--such as the Lake 
region of Lob, Kulja, Badakhshan and Khokand, &e. 
The first part of my paper consists of either extracts from my 
diary, or condensations of portions of it; and is intended to give 
some idea of the country I visited and of the birds as they came 
before my view. While in the second part a systematic list, of 
the birds is given, which of course quite disarranges their 
seasonal, horizontal, and vertical distribution. I begin Part I 
from the day we left Leh (Ladak) en route for Yarkand. 
I owe every apology to the readers of “ Stray Feathers” for 
this crude paper, the shortcomings of which (both as to matter 
and manner) will be evident to every one who may take the 
trouble to read any part of it. But in mitigation I may plead 
two things: First, [.am the veriest beginner in Ornithology, 
and, consequently, unable to go into those critical remarks 
about the distinctions of species, and their distribution, which 
are so interesting to ornithologists; while as to the habits of 
birds, I fear my remarks will prove, as Professor Newton 
would say, that I have been trying to find out facts for my- 
self which have been long known to my predecessors. Second, 
that having had but little previous experience in literary work, 
I have been called upon to get this paper ready in a very short 
space of time. If after this, the reader says, ‘Then why pub- 
dish at all?” I can only reply, ‘ All complaints to be levelled 
at the Hditor of ‘ Stray Feathers,’ at whose instance I prepared 
this paper.’’* 
* Not expecting that Dr. Scully (who had never previously done any thing in this 
line) would go at all deeply into the ornithology of the countries he visited, I had 
intended to embody the results of any work of this nature which he might find time 
to do in the general work which I have in hand on the Ornithology of Kashgharia and 
Central Asia, based upon Stoliczka’s, Henderson’s and other collections. But it 
appeared to me when I saw how much attention he had bestowed on the subject, that 
this would not be fair to Dr. Scully and that he ought to publish the results of his 
observations in the first instance ia his own name,—Ep., S, F. 
