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Ir having been suggested to us by Mr. Sotheran, the proprietor of the late Mr. Gould’s Ornithological
Works, that some few introductory remarks on the completion of the ‘Birds of Asia’ (one of the works
left unfinished at the death of the late Mr. Gould) would be acceptable to the Subscribers, we have
attempted to give a brief outline of the history of Asiatic ornithology during the past thirty years. It is
difficult for us, whose path has been smoothed by the labours of the excellent ornithologists who have
devoted themselves to the study of oriental birds, to carry our minds back to the year 1850, when Mr. Gould
commenced to write the present work on the Birds of Asia, at a time when such names as those of Hume,
Blanford, Davison, David, Prjewalsky, Severtzoff, and Swinhoe were unknown to fame. In 1850 the
golden age of ornithology was but commencing, ‘The Ibis’ was not yet published, and such an idea as the
calling into existence of a journal entirely devoted to Indian ornithology was undreamt of. Only one year
previously had Gray completed his great work on the Genera of Birds, which tabulated and placed in
order all the then known genera and species; and this was closely followed by the ‘Conspectus Avium’ of
Prince Bonaparte and the ‘ Catalogue of the Museum Heineanum’ of Dr. Cabanis. But although the three
last mentioned works will always be celebrated for the order which they introduced into the Class Aves,
their work did not affect Asiatic ornithology in particular, and the credit of. first setting in order the
ornithology of India rests with two naturalists—Jerdon and Blyth. Before Mr. Gould’s work commenced, the
former had finished his ‘ Catalogue of the Birds of the Peninsula of India,’ while for many years Mr, Blyth
had been engaged in publishing those important notes and synopses of Indian birds, in the ‘ Journal of the Asiatic

Society of Bengal,’ which even at the present day are studied with advantage by the ornithologist. Then,

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