PKEFAOE TO THE SECOND EDITION 



It is now more than five years since the first edition of 

 this work appeared. It has not sold as readily as we 

 could have wished, and the reason given for this by South 

 African Booksellers is the costliness of the first edition. 

 We have tried to reduce this as much as possible by 

 omitting separate plates, and printing the whole work on 

 a good smooth paper. 



It has been found necessary to add to the meagre 

 descriptions of some of the birds and to add many species 

 omitted in the previous edition. We have done this owiag 

 to the fact that the work has been kindly approved by the 

 Transvaal Education Department and added to their list 

 of authorised books. 



We have to thank Mr. M. J. NicoU for the loan of 

 several blocks from his "Three Voyages of a Naturalist," 

 illustrating the chapter on Seabirds, and to Mr. R. Chambers 

 for the photograph of the Breeding Colony of the Cliff 

 Swallow. 



A. K. HAAGNEE. 

 R. H. IVY. 



Transvaal Zoological Gardens, 

 Pebtoeia, 



January, 1914. 



