Plan of the Book 
It will now be convenient to outline the plan on which the 
rest of this book is based. 
In the first place we may fairly claim that all the birds 
likely to be met with m the ordinary way in Singapore are 
mentioned in the following pages and furthermore that all the 
really common species are dealt with in some amonnt of detail. 
The characteristic features of less common birds are noticed 
in conjunction with those common species which they most 
nearly resemble, but in some cases comment upon them wiU 
he found at the end of the family to which they belong;. At 
tiie same time ii must be borne in mind that this book does not 
mention, even by name, a good many birds that are known to 
visit Singapore. Inclusion of these would swell the voluniq^to 
a prohibitive size (and expense) for no less than about 300 
different kinds would have to be considcfred. It may be argued 
that we should have excluded all birds that are not really 
familiar garden, species, but excellent although this course 
appears to be in theory it falls to the ground in practice for the 
moment one starts to take an interest in birds the number of 
''familiar" species seen every day gradually mounts up and 
then it is that one realizes that there are two species of tailor- 
bird tn the garden, four, and not one common kingfishers, and 
that the common birds near the week-end bungalow include 
kinds not seen in the Tanglin gardens. Thus it is that from our, 
roughly speaking, thirty species of the town hedgerows we 
reach one hundred species without an effort — all of which can 
be seen as one journeys about the island on other business. 
It wi!l be noticed that the letterpress is arranged under the 
following headings :^ — (l) Description, (2) Distribution, 
(3) Status in Singapore, (4) Field notes, (5) Other habits. 
Under ^'Description*' will be found a diagnosis of the 
general appearance and plumage. This has been cut down to 
a minimum length and contains, we hope, just sufficient detail 
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