P R E F A C E .
I t fell to m y lo t, on Mr. G o u l d ’s death, to complete the present work together with the
others left unfinished at th e tim e o f his decease. The Plates for this “ Sup plement” were
nearly all drawn during the lifetime o f Mr. G ou ld ; to these I have added certain others as
representing species w e ll worthy o f illustration, the specimens having been len t to m e by
Mr. Osbert Salvin. I t will be noticed that a large number o f species are included in the present
“ Supplement ” without the accompanying plates. Whether it was the intention o f Mr. Gould
to have enumerated these in th e work I know n o t ; but as h e originally meant to complete
the “ Supplement ” in fo u r parts, I fancy that h e would only have figured the most striking
o f th e species described sin ce the completion o f th e ‘ Monograph.’ I have, however,
endeavoured to include in th is supplementary volume descriptions o f all the species o f
Trochilidee discovered since 1 8 6 1 , w h en th e ‘ Monograph ’ was finished ; and this course will,
I trust, commend its e lf to ornithologists. My thanks are due to Messrs. Sotheran for allowing
m e thus to render th e work as complete as possible, notwithstanding th e pecuniary loss
involved by such a proceeding.
I t is scarcely necessary for me to record here m y obligations to Mr. Ellio t’s admirable
* Synopsis o f the Humming-Birds,’ as the pages o f this book reveal h ow much I have been
indebted to his v o lum e ; and to Mr. Salvin I ow e the deepest acknowledgment, for his
advice in planning the present work and for having supervised th e proofs o f each Part.
R. BOW D L ER SHARPE.
B ritish M useum (N atural H istory),
S outh K ensington,
March 1887,