P R I N T E D B Y T A Y L O R A N D F R A N C I S
RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
P RE F A C E.
T h e idea of compiling a complete ‘ Index. ’ to th e works of Gould was
suggested to me by th e E a rl of Wharncliffe. On a certain occasion lie
was discussing some ornithological question with Lord Walsingham a t
his country seat, and a reference to one of Gould’s plates became
necessary. Some difficulty having been experienced in finding the
exact volume in which th e figure was given, i t occurred to both the
above-named noblemen th a t such a difficulty would not arise if there
existed a complete / I n d e x ’ to all th e folio works issued by Gould.
Lord Wharncliffe having asked me if I would undertake such a hook,
I found th a t Messrs. Sotheran were equally willing to publish an
‘ Index,’ and I therefore set about th e task. With o u t quoting every
reference to papers published by Gould in various journals, I deemed
it wise to include a t least every work which he had issued separately,
whether in folio, or 8vo, or 4to form. Thus th e present In d ex
contains quotations from the ‘ Synopsis ’ and th e ‘ Handbook to the
‘ Birds of A u stra lia ’; while, in order to make th e work still more complete,
th e ‘Mammals of A u s tra lia ’ have also been included in th e scheme.
I must confess th a t when I so cheerfully undertook th is In d ex I had
no idea of th e time which it would take to catalogue all th e hooks written
by Gould and to extract the references therefrom. I find, however,
now th a t my task is completed, th a t it has taken me as many years to
finish as I expected it would have taken months. This is no douhtridue
to a wish on my p a rt to do th e work as conscientiously as possible, for an
‘ In d e x ’ is of no use unless it he very carefully compiled and thoioughly
checked. W ith the aid, therefore, of my faithful a tten d an t a t the