"This book is a pioneering attempt to provide a general survey of the living birds of the world. Birds are animals with feathers, the possession of these being a unique distinction. Among other vertebrates, the reptiles are the most closely related the birds, and, in fact, if birds did not possess feathers, it would be doubtful if they could be separated from the reptilian class.

"Classification of birds has long been regarded as a subject of great difficulty, owing to the close interrelationship of so many of the numerous families. The author has given in this book the concise and systematic form in which the information about each family will be found particularly convenient for reference.

"The illustrations given in this book are mostly from living specimens and they have been selected as far as possible with a view to giving life-like representations of birds belonging to families altogether unfamiliar, or of unfamiliar species of wellknown families.

"This comprehensive survey of the birds of the world will fill up the gap in the available literature on the subject. This work will be of great interest to scholars and students of ornithology and biology as well as general readers." (jacket)

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