PREFACE, 



The number of attendances at the Meetings of the British 

 Ornithologists' Club during the 22nd Session, 1913-1914, 

 was 446 as against 401 during the previous session. This 

 included 368 Members and 78 Visitors, showing an average 

 of more than 49 per meeting, as against nearly 45 in the 

 previous Session. The exhibition o£ Lantern-slides at the 

 March meeting was very largely attended, no fewer than 

 117 being present. 



An obituary notice and portrait of our late Chairman, 

 Dr. P. L. Sclater, will be found on p. 29 ; also a photo- 

 graph of the silver Ibis on a globe, presented to him by 

 the Members of the B. O. C. on his retirement from the 

 Chairmanship of the Club. 



During the present Session we have lost several valued 

 friends. Dr. Albert Giinther, our veteran member, has 

 passed away in his 84th year; Major G. E. H. Barrett- 

 Hamilton, while on a Government Mission in South Georgia, 

 died in the midst of his life's work to the infinite regret of 

 his many friends; Mr. F. V. McConnell, who was especially 

 interested in the Avifauna of British Guiana and possessed 

 a fine collection of birds from that country ; and, lastly, 

 Mr. R. J. Ussher, who was our greatest authority on the 

 birds of Ireland. Science has also suffered an irreparable 

 loss in the death of Dr. A. E. Wallace. 



A special number of the Bulletin published during the 

 Session contains (1) A Guide to Selborne and (2) A 

 Synopsis of the Life of Gilbert White by Major W. H. 

 Mullens. These papers had been prepared in connection 

 with the proposed visit to Selborne to celebrate the 

 21st Anniversary of the Club, but, owing to the death of 

 Dr. Sclater, the scheme was abandoned. 



Of the remarkable birds exhibited at the various Meetings 

 held during the Session, none was of greater interest than 



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