viii INDIAN PIGEONS AND DOVES 



references to the Ibis, the Zoological Proceedings, etc., have nearly all 

 been omitted. On the other hand, as far as possible, full references have 

 been given to Stray Feathers, the Asiatic Society's Records, the Bombay 

 Natural History Society's Journal, and other Indian pubUcations. 



My thanks are especially due to Mr. Ogilvie-Grant and the Staff 

 of the Bird Section of the British Museum, for the use of the Bird" 

 room and access to the skias therein, as well as for the constant 

 courtesy shown me and help rendered, without which this book could 

 never have been written. 



Finally, an apology is due to my readers for the egoism in the 

 whole programme, but it is difficult to avoid this when writing upon 

 a family of birds about which so little has as yet been recorded 

 from a Sportsman's point of view. 



E. 0. S. B. 



