PREFACE. 
V 
Early in 1881, accompanied by bis wife, James returned to 
his business at Iquique; but, owing to other claims on his 
attention and to the unattractive character of the surrounding 
country, was able to do very little in the Avay of natural 
history. Two years later, however, on moving to a country- 
house (called Las Salinas) in the neighbourhood of Valparaiso, 
he found himself in a better position for his favourite pursuit. 
Here he began his collection of Chilian birds, which were sought 
for both round his home and in the neighbouring Cordilleras. 
To these he made frequent expeditions, often camping out for 
nights together in order to effect a more complete exploration 
of the surrounding ranges. Besides birds and their eggs, 
James also collected butterflies, moths, beetles, and other 
insects. 
In 1885 James prepared and printed a pamphlet of 16 pages 
containing a list of the birds of Chili*. In this memoir are 
arranged in three parallel columns (1) the scientific names of 
Chilian birds adopted by me in my ‘ List of Chilian Birds ’ 
published in 1867, (2) the names employed in the Santiago 
Museum, and (3) the corresponding vernacular names used by 
the natives. 
In 1886 James returned finally to England, having realized 
largely by the nitrate trade, in which he had been extensively 
engaged, and two years later purchased as a residence the well- 
known property called “ The Oaks,” near Epsom, in Surrey. 
In order to complete his series of Chilian birds James, 
before he left Valparaiso, had arranged with Carlos Kahner, a 
German naturalist in the Museum of Santiago, to make a 
special expedition into the interior of Tarapaca. The bird- 
skins obtained on this occasion were brought to England 
and described by me in the ‘Proceedings’ of the Zoological 
# ‘ List of Chilian Birds,’ compiled by Harry Berkeley James, F.Z.S. Valpa¬ 
raiso, 1885. 
