28 
INTRODUCTION. 
habits of the feathered denizens of our fields and woods are 
yet very imperfectly known, and the histories of most of 
them consist merely of detached fragments. There is not 
much difficulty in knowing the greater number of our birds 
by sight ; but such a knowledge as a botanist has of a plant 
is not enough, for the bird being a creature possessed of di- 
verse faculties, has a far more complex history than a plant ; 
and the labour bestowed on forming acquaintance with an 
Eagle or a Peregrine Falcon, would enable one to know by 
sight a hundred plants. 
As it may be of advantage to the student to have a com- 
prehensive view of the number of Birds of the British Isles, 
I shall here present them in a tabular form, according to the 
arrangement followed in these volumes. 
1 
Regular. 
Accidental. 
Resi- 
dent. 
Indige 
Sum- 
mer. 
nous. 
Win- 
ter. 
North- 
ern. 
South- 
ern. 
1 Ame- 
rican. 
Vui turinas, ...... 
1 
1 
Falconinae, 
14 
1 
1 
2 
1 
19 
Striginse,. 
4 
„ 
1 
2 
3 
10 
j Cypselinse, 
1 
,, 
1 
2 
Hirimdinee, ...... 
,, 
3 
1 
4 
Caprimulginse, .. 
1 
.. 
1 
1 
Cuculinse, 
1 
1 
Alcedinae, ...... 
1 
1 
2 
Laniinse, 
1 
2 
3 
3 
Myiotherinse, ... 
2 
.. 
2 
Coraciinae, 
„ 
.. 
1 
1 
Corvinse, 
8 
1 
1 
10 
Graculinae, 
1 
1 
2 
Oriolinse, 
1 
1 
Myrmotherise 
Turdinae, — 
1 
1 
3 
1 
2 
1 
7 
Saxicolinae, 
3 
3 
1 
2 
.. 
9 
Sylviinse, 
3 
11 
1 
2 
17 
Motacillinae, . . . 
2 
1 
.. 
2 
5 
Alaudinae, 
5 
1 
1 
1 
„ 
8 
Parinae, 
Ampelinae, 
6 
6 
•• 
1 
1 
