4 
Preface. 
I have referred to the works of my predecessors in the same field 
of inquiry, with the following abbreviations : — 
G = Gould’s “ Handbook of the Birds of Australia,” 1865. 
R = Ramsay’s “ Tabular List of the Birds of Australia,” 1888. 
C = Campbell’s ‘‘ Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds,” 1900. 
N = North’s ” Nests and Eggs of Birds found Breeding in 
Australia and Tasmania,” 1901, &c. 
H = Hall’s ‘‘ Key to the Bh-ds of Australia,” 1906. 
GREGORY M. MATHEWS. 
Langley Mount, Watford, Herts, England, 
November, 1907. 
[letter.] 
British Museum (Nat. Hist.), 
South Kensington, 20th Oct., 1907. 
My Dear Sir, 
I have perused your “ Handlist of Australian Birds” with much interest, 
and it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this Museum, where every 
facility shall be given you for working out your project of publishing the 
“ Coloured Figures of the Birds of Australasia,” and I am glad to hear that 
the Hon. Walter Rothschild has given yon similar facilities at his museum at 
Tring. 
r think it a wise step on your part to issue a “Handlist” of Australian 
birds, as it will clear the ground before commencing your larger work, and 
by your references to Gould, Ramsay, North, Campbell, and Hall, you will 
give full credit to those, excellent naturalists, who have laid the foundation 
of all future work on the birds of Australia. 
No one can doubt that the time has arrived for the issue of a new work on 
Australian birds, illustrated with coloured plates, as Gould’s work has been 
long out of print and is very costly. .Since the date of his “ Handbook,” 
too, a school of excellent observers has aidsen in the southern continent, 
whose work has greatly enlarged our knowledge of Australian ornithology. 
Having lived in different parts of the continent yourself, and having now the 
leisure for working, together with a very complete library of books on the 
natural histoi-y of Australia, 1 know no one better equipped for such a task 
as you are about to inflict on yourself. 
I feel certain, too, that the support of our colonial colleagues will be gladly 
given to your endeavoiu-, and I am also sure that they will receive full 
acknowledgment for all their help. This is parHcularly necessary in a work 
like yours, so that everyone who contributes shall recognise that his notes 
will be published in extf.mo, and that he will receive the full credit for his 
assistance. I am sure that your appeal for help will meet with a ready 
response from Australian naturalists. 
As regards your “ Handlist,” I think that this will serve a useful purpose, 
as it will supplement, to a certain degree, the useful “Key ’ published by 
Mr. Robert Hall, and the older lists of Goidd and Dr. Ramsay. It will form 
a groundwork for your larger publication, of which it may be considered the 
.starting-point. 
Wishing you every success. 
Believe me, 
Yours very sincerely, 
R. BOWDLER SHARPE. 
To Gregory M. Mathews. 
