IV 



to the President and Council of the Zoological Society, who most generously per- 

 mitted the work to be published there, and who gave me every assistance in their 

 power during the earlier years when I was struggling under not a few difficulties. 



The latter Parts were issued from 6 Tenterden Street, where for upwards of 

 seven years I have kept my collections and library, and where, owing to the close 

 proximity of the rich library of the Zoological Society, I have had every opportunity 

 of referring to the many rare ornithological works which it contains. 



To the various noblemen and gentlemen who during the progress of the work 

 •assisted me with notes and the loan of specimens (whose names are mentioned so 

 frequently in the following pages that I need not recapitulate them here) I return my 

 heartfelt thanks. Many of these kind friends, some of whom have been my most 

 zealous supporters, have not lived to see the work finished, amongst whom I may 

 name T. C. Jerdon, E. Blyth, Jules Verreaux, G. R. Gray, R. Swinhoe, Andrew 

 Anderson, Lord Tweeddale ; and since I have commenced writing the present 

 introduction, zoologists have to mourn the loss of John Gould and Edward R. 

 Alston, one of our oldest and one of our youngest zoologists, the latter of whom 

 will be long remembered as a most painstaking and accurate worker as well as 

 a true friend and genial companion. 



The illustrations have been executed chiefly by Mr. J. C. Keulemans, whose 

 facile pencil has embellished so many works on ornithology. Not a few of the 

 Raptores as well as one or two other birds have been drawn by Mr. Joseph Wolf, 

 well known as the best of living delineators of animal life ; and a few of the other 

 Plates were executed by Mr. E. Neale. The lithographs were printed by Messrs. 

 M. and N. Hanhart, Mr. Walter (who printed all Mr. Gould's plates), and 

 by Messrs. Mintern Brothers ; and the colouring was intrusted to Mr. Smith and 

 Mr. Hart, the latter of whom is well known as the artist employed by Mr. Gould 

 during the publication of all his later works. The printing has throughout been 

 done by Messrs. Taylor and Francis. To all of these I am much indebted for the 

 care and attention they have bestowed on the various portions of the work in which 

 their skill was employed. 



And now that the work is completed I must ask my readers to look on the 

 result with lenient eyes. There is much that I should alter and add were I able to 



