Vol. x.] x 



Eighth Session of this Club, and wish to express my regret 

 at not having been able to attend the first Meeting. I will, 

 however, take the opportunity now afforded me by being 

 occupant of the Chair for the first time this session to offer 

 you a few remarks on ornithological progress during the past 

 twelve months. I will speak first of some of the chief publica- 

 tions that have been issued since our last Meeting, of those 

 that are being planned or are in course of process of publica- 

 tion, and lastly of some of the expeditions to foreign countries 

 that have attained or are likely to attain good ornithological 

 results. 



First, as regards publications, I consider that one of the 

 most important of those that have appeared during the past 

 year is Dr. Bowdler Sharpe's ' Hand-list of Birds/ the plan 

 of which was announced to you some time since (see Bull, 

 vol. viii. p. xxiv), and the first volume of which has lately 

 been issued. When finished, there can be no doubt that the 

 new ' Hand-list ' will be of the greatest convenience to 

 working ornithologists. Besides giving an index to the 

 twenty-seven volumes of the great ' Catalogue of Birds/ it 

 will contain references to all the additional species described 

 during the progress of that work, and so form a complete 

 guide-book to all species of birds described up to the time of 

 its issue. It will, in fact, do for Birds what Dr. Trouessart, 

 in his lately-issued ' Catalogus Mammalium/ has attempted 

 to do for the Mammals. All that we could have wished, in 

 fact, is that we should not have to wait two more years for 

 its completion ; but this delay is, of course, unavoidable. 



Another recent event of much ornithological importance 

 is the issue of the final number of the second edition of 

 Mr. Saunders's f Manual of British Birds/ There can be 

 no greater proof of the increased attention now paid to the 

 study of birds in this country than the great popularity of 

 this excellent ' Manual/ and, we may likewise add, of several 

 other recent works on British ornithology. 



A third work, issued this year, which I must not fail to 

 mention, is Mr. Evans's volume upon " Birds " in the series 

 of the < Cambridge Natural History.' As has been alreadv 



