PREFACE. 



"^J^HEN I decided to read a paper before the Ornithological 

 Congress of 1905 on Extinct and Vanishing Birds, I found it 

 necessary to illustrate my paper by a number of drawings. 

 These drawings roused special interest among those who listened to 

 my lecture, and I was asked by many if I could not see my way to 

 publish the lecture and ^drawings, in book form, as these plates were 

 far too numerous for the proceedings of the Congress. After some 

 hesitation I determined to do this, greatly owing to the persuasion 

 of the late Dr. Paul Leverkuhn. The preparation of a book required 

 considerably more research than the lecture, and therefore my readers 

 will find, in the following pages, a totally different account to that 

 in the lecture, as well as corrections and numerous additions. The 

 lecture itself has been published in the " Proceedings of the IVth 

 International Ornithological Congress." 



I wish to thank very heartily all those of my ornithological 

 friends, who have kindly helped me with the loan of specimens or 

 otherwise, and especially Dr. H. O. Forbes, Dr. Scharff, Professor 

 Dr. K. Lampert, Dr. O. Finsch, Professor Dr. A. Koenig, Dr. Kerbert, 

 Mr. Fleming, Dr. von Lorenz, and others. 



WALTER ROTHSCHILD. 



