vi Preface. 



this volume has already seen the light in the form 

 of papers contributed to the Meld, with other 

 journals that treat of Natural History ; and to the 

 monthly magazines : — Longmans' , The Nineteenth 

 Century, The Gentleman's Magazine, and others : I 

 am indebted to the Editors and Proprietors of these 

 periodicals for kindly allowing me to make use of 

 this material. 



Of all animals, birds have perhaps afforded me 

 most pleasure ; but most of the fresh knowledge I 

 have collected in this department is contained in a 

 larger work {Argentine Ornithology), of which Dr. 

 P. L. Sclater is part author. As I have not gone 

 over any of the subjects dealt with in that work, 

 bird-life has not received more than a fair share of 

 attention in the present volume. 



