PREFACE. 



Seventeen years have now elapsed since the publication of my Second Edition of the 

 'Birds of New Zealand.' During that period several new and interesting species have been 

 discovered, a number of wanderers or stragglers, from Australia and elsewhere, have been 

 detected on our shores, and much detailed information, more or less important, has been 

 obtained respecting most, if not all, of the species described in that work. I have thought 

 it better, instead of bringing out a new edition of so expensive a book, to issue a 

 Supplement of two volumes, conforming in their style and appearance to the original 

 Vols. I. and II., in which all this new material will be embodied, and coloured illustrations 

 given of species not figured in the former volumes. I have taken this opportunity of re- 

 classifying the avifauna of New Zealand according to the most modern system of arrange- 

 ment, namely that adopted by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe in his recently published ' Handlist of 

 Birds' ; so that, although in the nature of a ' Supplement ' forming, as it were, a necessary 

 acquisition for those who possess my former work, the present publication is virtually 

 complete in itself, embracing all the known species. 



I am aware that Dr. Sharpe's system, which reverses the old sequence and com- 

 mences with the lowest instead of the highest forms, has challenged much criticism ; 

 but the fact remains that it has been adopted by the Trustees of our National Collec- 

 tion as the best that can be devised, whilst it seems to have met with general acceptance 

 on the Continent. All systems are confessedly artificial, and they must in a sense be 

 provisional, whilst our knowledge of the Science is advancing towards perfection ; but, for 

 my own part, I attach so much importance to securing uniformity that, in my opinion, 

 this is enough to outweigh all other considerations. It is to be hoped that we have 

 now reached something like finality in the nomenclature of the birds of New Zealand, 

 which has undergone many violent changes since the publication of my firl*fc edition in 

 1873. In the placing of the genera, and of the species, as far as possible, the sequence 

 followed is that of the ' Handlist.' 



As with the First and Second Editions, so with the present work, I have had the 

 advantage of Mr. Keulemans' unrivalled pencil. Those who are familiar with the life-work of 

 that talented artist will, I think, admit that he has never produced more beautiful or life-like 

 Bird-pictures than those which appear in the present volumes. And I feel that I cannot 

 give too much praise to my printers, Messrs. John Bale, Sons and Danielsson, Limited, 

 for the manner in which they have carried out their work, including also the production of the 

 numerous process-blocks in their Art Department, and the printing of the plates, for hand-colour- 

 ing. Lastly, my thanks are due to my excellent correspondents in New Zealand who have 

 kept me posted in everything of interest relating to the native birds. 



London, March, 1905. 



