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INTRODUCTION 



With the help of the photographs in this book it should 

 not be difficult for any one to recognise and determine a 

 good proportion of the members of the South African avi- 

 fauna, without having recourse to the task of skinning. The 

 latter is, however, learnt with a little patience and practice, 

 and will be found indispensable to any one taking up the 

 study of ornithology in earnest. 



Notes on habits, coloration of soft parts, contents of crops, 

 dates, &c., should be carefully entered in a book kept for 

 the purpose. 



For information on skinning we would direct attention 

 to a little work of Eowland Ward's, 166, Piccadilly, London, 

 called the " Sportsman's Handbook " (price three shUhngs 

 and sixpence) ; and for further and more scientific informa- 

 tion on our birds, the four excellent volumes on Birds by 

 Dr. A. C. Stark and W. L. Sclater in the " Fauna of South 

 Africa " series, must be consulted. 



ofHw^:-. 



It. Seco/vofl/ftEs 

 St Pff/MARy coye/rrs. 

 IT. G a E fire ft H^/Ns-cnye/fTs 

 V Median Coi/Eftrs 

 Vr. Lesser l^mc-coi^Efl-rs 



r BjISTA/fO'iV/NG- 



The Nomenclature of the External Portions of a Bird's Anatomy 

 (after Reichenow). 



