X 
Vol. X.] 
Eighth Session of this Club, and wish to express my regret 
at not having been able to attend the first Meeting. I will, 
however, take the opportunity now' afforded me by being 
oceupant of the Chair for the first time this session to offer 
you a few remarks on ornithological progress during the past 
twelve months. I will speak first of some of the chief publica- 
tions that have been issued since our last Meeting, of those 
that are being planned or are in coui’se of process of publica- 
tion, and lastly of some of the expeditions to foreign countries 
that have attained or are likely to attain good ornithological 
results. 
First, as regards publications, I consider that one of the 
most important of those that have appeared during the past 
year is Dr. Dowdier Sharpe’s " Hand-list of Birds,’ the iilan 
of which was announced to you some time since (see Bull, 
vol. viii. p. xxiv), and the first volume of which has lately 
been issued. When finished, there can be no doubt that the 
new' ‘ Hand-list ’ will be of the greatest convenience to 
working ornithologists. Besides giving an index to the 
tAventy-seven volumes of the great ' Catalogue of Birds,’ it 
will contain references to all the additional species described 
during the progress of that work, and so form a complete 
guide-book to all species of birds described up to the time of 
its issue. It wdll, in fact, do for Birds what Dr. Trouessart, 
in his lately-issued “^Catalogus Mainmalium,’ has attempted 
to do for the Mammals. All that we could have wdshed, in 
fact, is that we should not have to wait two more year’s for 
its completion ; but this delay is, of course, unavoidable. 
Another recent event of much ornithological importance 
is the issue of the final number of the second edition of 
Mr. Saunders’s 'Manual of British Birds.’ There can be 
no greater proof of the increased attention now paid to the 
study of birds in this country than the great popularity of 
this excellent ' Manual, and, we may likewise add, of several 
other recent works on British ornithology. 
A third w'ork, issued this year, which I must not fail to ' 
mention, is Mr. Evans’s volume upon "Birds” in the series 
of the 'Cambridge Natural History.’ As has been already 
