PEEFACE. 
references which they seek ; but they will also meet with other synonyms 
which are not published in Gould’s works, a*nd which have merely been 
inserted to aid those who are familiar only with recent work and 
modern nomenclature. 
I have, moreover, duplicated many references, with the object of 
giving a complete index to Gould’s plates for any one studying 
particular groups of birds, and it is again necessary to repeat my 
caution as to copying the synonyms from this ‘ Index ’ without 
consulting the hooks themselves. 
As an example, take “ Savi’s Warbler.” I have (p. 294) given the 
reference to the plate in the ‘ Birds of Europe ’ as well as to that in 
the * Birds of Great Britain,’ although the name really occurs only in 
the latter work. In the ‘Birds of Europe’ it is called the “Willow 
Locustelle,” a name under which very few people would now think 
of looking for it. 
The choice of English names for exotic birds seems to have been more 
or less a stumbling-block to Gould, as it is to every one, and several 
amusing mistakes have occurred through the publication of his works in 
'parts. Generally he got out of the difficulty by repeating the Latin 
name. Thus il Aw,ydrus tristrami ” became “ Tristram’s Amydrus;” but 
in the manufacture of English titles for some of the species of Humming¬ 
birds we get some curious names, such as “ Aurelia’s Puff-leg ” ! 
It is quite comprehensible that an author, issuing in parts a work 
which takes many years to complete, should repeat English names, 
through forgetting that he had bestowed them in a previous number; hut 
one or two amusing mistakes of this kind are found even in the ‘ Hand¬ 
book,’ where, for instance, two “ Beautiful ” Parrakeets occur within 
a few pages of each other, as well as two “ Pied ” Crow-Shrikes, 
“ Easciated ” Honey-eaters, “ Shining ” Flycatchers, “ White-throated ” 
Honey-eaters; two “ Sclater’s ” Honey-eaters in the ‘ Birds of New 
Guinea,’ two “ Pied ” Cormorants in the ‘ Birds of Australia,’ two 
“ Elegant ” Tits in the ‘ Birds of Asia,’ two “ Helmeted ” Eriar-birds in 
