An illustrated manual of British birds

Front matter

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Preface

The plan of a work in which exactly two pages are devoted to each species, may justly be called Procrustean ; and, unfortunately for the author, the limited space at his disposal has often been encroached upon owing to the length of an engraving, whereas extension of the text has rarely been called for. Little idea, lor instance, can be formed of the labour involved in an article like that on the Crossbill, wherein the necessary consideration of the distinctive features of several local races increased the difficulty of sketching briefly the history of a remarkable bird. In this and similar cases, when four lines in excess meant as many hours of hard work in condensing, the writer has sometimes been tempted — in the interest of his readers as well as in his own — to deviate from the original scheme \ yet any such concession must necessarily have led to an increase in the bulk t and the expense of the work. Even now, the low price is due to the fact that the publishers own the blocks from which the illustrations were struck for the four editions of Yarrell’s ‘ British Birds ’ ; though to these have been added wood-cuts of many recent wanderers to Great Britain, such as the Isabelline, Black-throated and Desert Wheatears, the Barred Warbler, Wall-Creeper, Needle-tailed Swift, Lesser Kestrel, Killdeer and Sociable Plovers, and Mediterranean Black-headed Gull ; while fresh engravings have taken the place of the unsatisfactory originals of the Marsh-Harrier, Gos-Hawk, Merlin and Great Auk. Great liberality has also been shown by the publishers in placing no restriction on alterations whenever the slightest improvement was thereby attainable. For example, a scrap of information, obtained by mere chance, led to the re-writing of the article on the Blue-throat at the last moment, and that too for reasons which nine in ten of my readers might, perhaps, consider inadequate ; the tenth, however, would appreciate the need for strict accuracy, and it is his intelligent approbation that I have striven to deserve.

V

PREFACE.

Three Maps have been added, as likely to be of use for reference, especially to the traveller. The first of these shows the comparative elevation of the land in the United Kingdom and the depth of the surrounding seas ; and, although on a small scale, it will serve as a guide to the relative positions of the various groups of islands, respecting some of which rather vague ideas appear to be entertained. It may also remind the reader that, owing to the indentations of our coast, very few places in the British Islands are fifty miles distant in a straight line from tidal or brackish water : a fact which exercises an important influence on our climate — and consequently on our bird-life — during the winter months, and may well be contrasted with the conditions prevailing over Continental areas. The North Polar Chart will, I trust, be of assistance in estimating the range of the birds which breed in the Arctic regions. As regards orthography, I have persistently run counter to custom in two instances —Bering for Behring and Spitsbergen for Spitzbergen, for the following reasons. Vitus Bering was a Dane, born in Jutland about 1680, and the discoveries which have immortalized him were made when in the service of Russia ; while Spitsbergen was so written by the Dutch, who were the first to give an account of that island. It seems undesirable to disguise the above facts by copying the

spelling of German cartographers.

The study of Migration is now pursued throughout the civilized world, and has already become surrounded by a literature of its own, far too voluminous for notice here ; indeed we are now overwhelmed with plausible theories out of all proportion to the scanty amount of solid facts accumulated. Meanwhile it is satisfactory to note the great interest that has been awakened among the keepers of our lighthouses and lightships, owing to the publication of their schedules in the annual Migration Reports, which have been drawn up by a Committee of the British Association for the last ten years ; and through them considerable addition has already been made to our knowledge of the habits of wandering species as well as to that of the regular lines of flight adopted by birds in general. The impetus given to this study by the researches of Mr. H. Gatke of Heligoland cannot be over-estimated, and some valuable papers by various authors have appeared during the last five years in the Austro-Hungarian ‘ Ornis.’

The birds considered as British in this work are 367 in number, exclusive of several forms — duly noticed — respecting which there are conflicting opinions. The species which have been ascertained to breed within the United Kingdom during the present centur)

PREFACE.

VI may be taken as 200; about 70 non-breeding wanderers have occurred fewer than six times, and 59 others are more or less infrequent visitors ; while 38 species annually make their appearance on migration or during the colder months, in some portion of our long, narrow group of islands or the surrounding waters.

Owing to the necessity of compression I have had frequent occasion to regret the impossibility of mentioning the names of man> authorities for much and varied information, and even now I fear that some may have been accidentally omitted. My thanks-which cannot be apportioned-are rendered to Lt.-Col. H. M. Drummond-Hay, Col. H. W. Feilden, Lt.-Col. Irby, the Lord Lilford, the Rev. H. A. Macpherson, Professor Newton, Sir John W. P. Campbell Orde, Col. E. Delm6 Radcliffe, Capt. S. G. Reid, Messrs. Aplin, R. M. Barrington, E. Bidwell, G. Bolam, E. Booth, Abel and A. C. Chapman, W. Eagle Clarke, John Cordeaux, H. E. Dresser, Henry Evans (Derby), William Evans (Edinburgh), H. Gatke, J. H. Gurney jun., J. E. Harting, R. J. Howard, A. G. More, E. C. Phillips, W. H. St. Quintin, H. Seebohm, R. Service (Dumfries), G. Sim (Aberdeen), R. Bowdler Sharpe, Cecil Smith, Thomas Southwell, R. J. Ussher, Robert Warren, and John Young ; while, in addition to providing many details respecting distribution, Messrs. Harvie-Brown and Buckley (through their courteous publisher, Mr. D. Douglas of Edinburgh) allowed me the great advantage of consulting the advance-sheets of their ‘ Fauna of the Outer Hebrides.’ Beyond all, I am indebted to Mr. A. H. Evans of Cambridge, who has gone over the proof-sheets, arguing and threshing-out points on which our experiences differed, suggesting alterations in phraseology, and rendering infinite assistance. In a work of the present nature an author is necessarily indebted in no small degree to the experiences of others ; and, far from captiously criticizing the writings of predecessors, each successive compiler should remember how much is due to previous and often unacknowledged labours.

H. S.

7 , Radnor Place, Hyde Park, IV .

14M October, 1889.