1I
D LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
INTRODUCT ION.
I n the present work I trust that I have earned out: the intentions of my friend, thé late
Mr. H enry S eebohm, when he conceived the idea of writing a ‘Monograph of the Turdidoe,
or Family of Thrushes.’ Shortly after the completion of the fifth volume of the ‘ Catalogue of
Birds,' Mr. Seebohm made preparations to publish a Monograph of- the Thrushes, a group
of birds of which at that time he had a profound knowledge, and until his death in 1895 he
continued to employ Mr. Keulemans in drawing the Plates for the book which he intended
to issue. Nearly all the Plates which illustrate the present volumes were prepared during
Mr. Seebohm s lifetime, and were coloured in anticipation of their speedy publication. Several
have been since added by the Publishers in order to bring the work up to. date,
A packet of MSS. of considerable size, supposed to have been the Author’s material for the
Monograph, passed into the hands of the Publishers along with the series 'of coloured Plates
which were to illustrate the book. On closer examination this parcel of MSS. was found to consist
merely of the descriptions of the species of the genus Geociehla, while the final series of Plates
(doubtless owing to the author’s illness) had evidently never been examined by him. The colouring
Of these Plates was found to be by no means good, and they have all had to be re-coloured, a
proceeding, which has involved much loss of time and expense to the Publishers.
The undersigned, who had simply undertaken to edit his friend’s MSS., thus found himself
called upon to write three-quarters of the book—a task which, with his burden of other official and
private work, he would never knowingly have undertaken, since the increase of Jiis official duties
occupies much of his private time. The result has been that considerable delay has taken place
in the completion of thé ‘ Monograph,’ as the compilation of some of the articles in the present
volumes has involved the sacrifice of all his available time, for weeks together. He has to apologize
to the Subscribers for this delay, which has been irritating to all concerned ; but the Editor trusts
that his labours have not been in vain, and that the Author would have been satisfied with the
work as now completed.