XIV INTKODUCTIOX. 



who is always ready to inform them of bird-affairs on his most 

 picturesque island of Lundy ; to Mr. H. A. Evans of Westward Ho ! 

 College, Bideford ; and to Mr. James Howe of Barnstaple: while 

 in the south Mr. E. A. S. Elliot and Messrs. H. and R. P. 

 Nicholls of Kingsbridge have supplied numerous valuable notes 

 respecting their favoured neighbourhood and the closely adjoining 

 and celebrated Slapton Ley ; and the Rev. G. C. Green, of Modbury 

 Vicarage, has been their correspondent who has recorded the rarer 

 birds which he has noticed on the banks of the Erme. Nor 

 must they fail to acknowledge their indebtedness to the President 

 of the British Ornithologists' Union, Lord Lilford, who has not 

 only taken great interest in their book while it was in progress, 

 but has placed his notes on Devonshire birds at their disposal. 

 Nor does this by any means exhaust the names of those who 

 iiave kindly contributed information, of whom mention is made 

 further on. 



Some difficulty has been experienced in fitting together two 

 manuscri])ts prepared independently of each other, and it was 

 impossible to avoid occasional repetitions without recasting tlie 

 whole. As the Authors reside far apart, a constant correspond- 

 ence was necessary to settle all the details of the work, and tins 

 has entailed much extra labour and created much difficulty. 



The nomenclature and arrangement which have been followed 

 are those adopted by the Committee of the British Ornithologists' 

 Union in the List of ]3ritish Birds known as the " Ibis List,'' 

 published in 1883. A few alterations have been made here and 

 there, rendered necessary by the publication of Mr. Howard 

 Saunders's useful ' Manual of British Birds.' Although the 

 Authors have thought it desirable to follow this List, as the best, it 

 can only be regarded as provisional, and it is to be hoped it will 

 soon undergo revision, as neither the position nor the names of 

 the species are always to be considered as satisfactory. 



All the Provincial names for the birds used in Devonshire have 

 been given, and also sometimes those emjiloyed elsewhere in England, 

 to enal)le residents in other counties to identify the species. In 

 collecting these names much assistance has been afforded by several 

 friends, a list of whom we have given on page Ixxxvii. 



An attempt has been made to trace the history of each species 



