PEEFACE. 



At the Annual General Meeting of the British Ornitholn- 

 gists' Union held at their office^ 6 Tenterden Street, Hanover 

 Square, May 15, 1878, Mr. Sclater proposed that a Com- 

 mittee should be appointed to draw up a list of British Birds 

 in accordance with the most approved principles of modern 

 nomenclature. Mr. Sclater gave an outline of his plan, 

 and suggested that the following Members of the B. O. U. 

 should be requested to serve on the Committee, viz. : — 



Mr. O. Salvin, )^, ^,. „ „,, ^, . , 



^ „ ^The Editors of ' The Ibis,' 



Mr. p. L. Sclater,) 



Mr. H. DuCane Godman, The Secretary of the B. O. U., 



Mr. H. E. Dresser, 



Professor Newton, 



Mb. H. Seebohm, and 



Mr. Henry T. Wharton. 



This proposal was unanimously agreed to ; but Professor 

 Newton subsequently excused himself from joining the 

 Committee. 



The remaining members held their first meeting on 

 June 4, 1878, when Mr. Sclater was elected Chairman 

 and Mr. H. T. Wharton Secretary and General Editor. 

 On August 13, 1879, Messrs. Howard Saunders and 

 R. BowDLER Sharpe wcre added to the Committee. 



