work was going through the press, I
see by the newspaper ('Gazette Officielle de Guernsey' for the 26th
March, 1879) that the Bailiff had then just issued a _Billet d'Etat_
which contained a "Projet de loi" on the subject, to be submitted to the
States at their next meeting; and in concluding its comments on this
_Projet de loi_ the Gazette says, "Il n'est que juste en fait que ceux
qui veulent se lier au plaisir de la chasse paient pour cette fantaisie
et que par ce moyen le trop grand nombre de nos chasseurs maladroits et
inexperimentes se voit reduit au grand avantage de nos fermiers et de
nos promeneurs;" and probably also to the advantage of the chasseurs
themselves.

In regard to the nomenclature, I have done the best I can to follow the
rule laid down by the British Association; but not living in London, and
consequently not having access to a sufficiently large ornithological
library to enable me to search out the various synonyms for myself and
ascertain the exact dates, I have therefore been obliged to rely on the
best authorities whose works I possess, and accept the name given by
them. In doing this, I have no doubt I have been quite as correct as I
should have been had I waded through the various authors who have
written on the subject, as I have invariably accepted the name adopted
by Professor Newton in his edition of Yarrell, and by Mr. Dresser in his
'Birds of Europe', as far as these works are yet complete: for the birds
not yet included in either I have for the most part taken the scientific
names from Mr. Howard Saunders's 'Catalogue des oiseaux du midi de
L'Espagne,' published in the 'Proceedings' of the Societe Zoologique de
France; and for the names of the Gulls and Terns I have entirely
followed Mr. Howard Saunders's papers on those birds published in the
'Proceedings' of our own Zoological Society, for permission to use
which, and for other assistance,--especially in egg-hunting,--I have to
give him my best thanks.

As French is so much spoken in Guernsey and the other Islands included
in my district, I have (wherever I have been able to ascertain it) given
the French name of each bird, as it may be better known to my Guernsey
readers than either the English or the scientific name. I have also,
where there is one and I have been able to ascertain it, mentioned the
local name in the course of my notes on each bird.

It now only remains to give my best thanks to the various friends who
have as