ORIGINAL PROSPECTUS. 



SEEING that the magnificent work of Mr. Gould, on " The Birds of Australia," so completely supplies 

 every want of the Ornithologist in this particular direction, it may be thought that any other work is 

 superfluous ; hut copies of Mr. Gould's Ornithology are so difficult to procure, and their price is so far beyond 

 the means of any but the most wealthy, that the Author of the present publication deems any further reasons 

 for the necessity of a second work unnecessary, as he desires to place within the power of all who wish to obtain 

 it, an accurate and useful book of reference, at as low a cost as will allow of its being published in a creditable 

 manner. In the present work all that is absolutely necessary will be given, and only that omitted which is of 

 minor importance. 



The Author's impression is, that, whenever practicable, life size pictures of Birds are most desirable, as 

 tending to convey a more accurate idea than those on a reduced scale, and it will be his aim to represent the 

 majority of the Australian Birds the size of life. The form in which the work will appear (imperial quarto) 

 will, therefore, preclude his giving a complete portrait of many of the larger Birds ; but as much of each Bird 

 will be figured as will enable any one to identify the species represented, especially as the accompanying letter- 

 press will describe the Bird in full, with the important addition of careful measurements. Erom four to six of 

 the smaller Birds (most of which will be complete figures) will appear on one plate, and thus be favorably 

 situated for comparison. 



\ The assistance of several practical Ornithologists has been kindly given, among whom may be named 



Charles Coxen, Esq., M.L.A., and Mr. Eli Waller, of Brisbane, from whose fine collection the greater 

 number of the Birds in this work have been figured. Each plate will be colored after the Original Drawings, 

 and the work will be issued in Parts (monthly, if possible), price Ten Shillings. Six Plates will appear in 

 each Part. 



It is expected that the number of Parts will not much exceed forty. 



The Author would invite the kind attention of all who possess information concerning scarce or local 

 species to the desirability of communicating the same to him, for the purpose of having it embodied in the 

 letterpress. Specimens of Birds, Nests, or Eggs lent to be figured or described will be carefully returned. It 

 is hoped that, in bringing out in Brisbane — the capital of so young a colony — so large and important a work as 

 the present, such assistance and support will be accorded to the Author as will enable him to bring the same to 

 a successful termination. As the immediate expenses are so great, the Author requests that each Part be paid 

 for on deliverv. 



Intending Subscribers are desired to fill up the form appended, and to return it without delay, as the 

 number of copies issued will be regulated by the number of applications received. v 



In reference to the above Prospectus, I think it desirable to explain why this work has not been 

 completed. T^venty-one parts only had been issued when the commercial crisis of 1866 caused the withdrawal 

 of so many subscribers that it would have been ruinous to continue it ; and thus the assiduous labors of twelve 

 of my best years were in a gre^at degree lost. 



Of the first six parts only one hundred copies were struck off ; when, finding the circulation increasing, 

 I thought it advisable to have fifty additional plates for the succeeding ones. In the course of time 

 it became necessary to have the first six parts re-drawn to make the sets complete, and this, with a few excep- 



