PREFACE. 



Jb EW aiitliors have made their first appearance be- 

 fore the public under so favourable auspices as my- 

 self; for in the first place I am told by some of my 

 friends that my work may be of use, and therefore 

 it may receive praise, and secondly, as I did not 

 write a word of it myself, I cannot with justice be 

 blamed. With regard to the third and worst con- 

 tingency, viz. its being passed over unheeded, I can 

 only say, " 'T is its vocation," and I am satisfied. 



I some years ago began to write an index of this 

 description ; but ere I had waded through ten pages 

 I discovered that I had neither time nor patience for 

 such a labour. Finding, however, considerable dif- 

 ficulty in searching for the description of any bird 

 through two quarto volumes of Vieillot arranged ac- 

 cording to one system, two of Spix in a different 

 order, ten of Latham still different, innumerable 

 numbers of Temminck arranged according to the 

 fancy of the purchaser, and Wilson's American Or- 

 nithology not arranged at all, I put my books into 

 the hands of Mr. Prince, who undertook to finish it, 

 though, without an idea of publication ; but as some 

 of my friends thought that a work of this description 

 might be of use to science, I have printed it, less in 



9. 



