INTRODUCTION. 



The wonderful fauna of New Guinea, especiallj^ the mar- 

 vellous forms of Bird- and Insect-life to be found there, 

 has long attracted the attention of naturalists in all parts 

 of the world. The exploration of this vast island during the 

 last thirty years has brought to light many extraordinary 

 and hitherto unknown forms, more particularly new Birds- 

 of-Paradise and Gardener Bower-Birds ; but until recently 

 the central portion was still entirely unexplored, though no 

 part of the globe promised to yield such an abundance of 

 zoological treasures to those prepared to face the difficulties 

 of penetrating to the great ranges of the interior. 



The present volume contains the official record of the 

 Ornithological Collections formed in Southern Dutch New 

 Guinea by the B. 0. U. Expedition, 1909-1911, and the sub- 

 sequent Wollaston Expedition, 1912-1913, which originated 

 in the following manner. For many years past I had been 

 trying to organise an exploration of the Snow Mountains, 

 but the reported hostility of the natives in the southern 

 part of Dutch New Guinea and the risks attending such 

 an undertaking, rendered the chances of success too small 

 to justify the attempt. 



It was in 1907 that Mr. "Walter Goodfellow, well known 

 as an experienced traveller and an accomplished naturalist, 

 informed me that he believed a properly equipped expe- 

 dition might meet with success, and I entered into an 

 arrangement with him to lead a small zoological expedition 

 to explore the Snow Mountains, or Nassau Range, included 

 in the older maps as part of the Charles Louis Mountains, 

 a name now restricted to the lower and more western portion 

 of the system. 



SEK. X. — JUB.-SUPPL. 2. • A 



