vi PREFACE.
By arrangement, the work forms one of the Special
Memoirs of the Essex Field Club, that body having made
a grant towards the expenses of printing.
I have endeavoured to make my book as complete as
possible by adding to it, among other matters, some remarks
on the chief Physical Features of the County of Essex, brief
biographical notices of the principal Essex Ornithologists,
descriptions of the most important collections of birds within
the County, an account of Decoys and Decoying in Essex,
and a Chronological List of published works, &c., referred
to and quoted from.
No one can be more fully aware than I am myself of
the incompleteness of my book. A complete work of the
kind is, indeed, impossible. Fresh observations are continu-
ally being made and many records of old ones, which have
escaped my notice, will doubtless be discovered. The chief
use of such a work as mine is to collect all the information
available up to a certain date, and, by showing the incom-
pleteness of our local knowledge, to stimulate others to fill
the gaps and extend general observation on the habits and
distribution of birds. Thus my work will fail in its object if
it does not quickly show its own incompleteness.
I have introduced the illustrations because I believe that
they will largely add to the popularity of my book. Though
not so good or so uniform a series as might have been wished,
I believe they will be found useful by many of my readers
who are not skilled ornithologists. In some, a resem-
blance may be traced to the well-known cuts in Yarrell's
standard British Birds. These originally appeared, many
years ago, in a now-almost-forgotten work which at the time
of its publication figured in the law courts, the publishers
being condemned to pay damages for infringement of copy-
right. I now use the cuts with the concurrence of Messrs.
Gurney and Jackson, the present owners of the copyright in
Yarrell's work. Some others will be seen to be merely reduced