During several years spent in collecting zoölogical specimens in the
Philippine Islands the author has constantly experienced the need of a
book containing descriptions of the Philippine birds. That others have
felt the same want is evident from the many requests for literature
received. Lists of Philippine birds [1] have been published from time
to time but they contain no descriptions and are of use to those only
who have a considerable library at hand.
The Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum contains descriptions of
most of the known species of birds and these include very many of the
Philippine species but the bulk of its 27 volumes would preclude the
use of this work in the field even if its rarity and cost were not
prohibitory. Thus there is an almost total lack of adequate means
for identifying Philippine birds which has been a serious check to
activity and interest in ornithological work throughout the Islands.
To meet this need and to place descriptions of the birds inhabiting
the Philippines in a convenient form for the use of local naturalists
the present work has been prepared. Technical terms and references
to internal structure have been avoided as far as possible although
this method weakens, to some extent, the keys and diagnoses of the
higher groups. The diagnoses of orders, families, and genera being
drawn from Philippine species may or may not define these groups as
represented outside of the Archipelago.
The actual material which has been available for study consists of
about 8,000 specimens of birds collected for the Bureau of Science,
a few skins received in exchange from the Menage Collection, nearly
200 skins received from the United States National Museum, part
in exchange and part as a loan, and a few small lots of skins from
various sources. There are, however, some 150 species inhabiting the
Philippines of which not a single specimen has been examined. Of some
other species the available material is quite inadequate for complete
descriptions; this is particularly true of the shore and water birds,
most of which visit the Philippine Islands as migrants and can not
be obtained here in breeding plumage.
To meet these deficiencies a large number of descriptions have been
taken from previous works, notably the Catalogue of Birds in the
British Museum, Oates's Birds of British Burmah, and the four volumes
on birds in the Fauna of British India, while a few have been taken
from periodicals. All copied descriptions and parts of descriptions
are inclosed in quotation marks followed by the authors' names;
the exact reference in each case will be found in the synonymy of
the species described.
The quotations ending with "Bourns and Worcester MS." are taken from a
manuscript prepared by Messrs. Frank S. Bourns and Dean C. Worcester
and based upon the ornithological specimens collected by the Menage
Expedition. This manuscript was intended for publication by the
Minnesota Academy of Natural Sciences, but as that institution was
unable to meet the necessary expense, the right to use the manuscript
reverted to the authors who have permitted the publication of their
notes in this Manual.
The scientific name, an English name, and such native names as seem
to be commonly used with some degree of accuracy are given for each
species.
The synonymy consists of references to original descriptions and
to all works from which quotations are made; also to the following
works when the species is given in them: Catalogue of Birds in
the British Museum, Sharpe's Hand-List of the Genera and Species
of Birds, Oates and Reid's Catalogue of Birds' Eggs in the British
Museum, and McGregor and Worcester's Hand-List of Philippine Birds;
other references are to plates or figures, records of rare species,
important descriptions, notes on habits, or critical remarks. [2]
The distribution of each species is given by islands, arranged
alphabetically, with the names of collectors so far as these have
been worked out from the available literature. Distribution outside
of the Philippine Islands is given in a general way only.
To the descriptions and measurements of the birds are added notes
on habits, nests and eggs, abundance, etc. and in very many cases
manuscript notes by Bourns and Worcester, giving information on habits,
colors of soft parts, measurements, and validity of species.
All measurements are in the metric system. In copied descriptions
inches and hundredths have been carefully reduced to millimeters and
the English measurements omitted, tenths and hundredths of millimeters
being disregarded in most instances.
In accordance with Canon XXXVII of the Code of Nomenclature adopted
by the American Ornithologists' Union, Revised Edition (1908), generic
and specific names, unless evidently misprinted, are spelled as in the
original descriptions. Dr. Charles W. Richmond, Assistant Curator,
Division of Birds, United States National Museum, has most kindly
verified a very large number of these citations.
The last half century has been exceedingly fruitful in systems of
classification, some of them excellent, most of them suggestive and
helpful. The whole subject has been reviewed in a masterly way by
Newton, Dictionary of Birds, London (1896), 45-120 of introduction.
The present author has not the ability to judge of the relative merits
of the schemes of classification proposed by various authors but the
system set forth in Sharpe's Hand-List [3] and copied in McGregor
and Worcester's Hand-List of Philippine Birds is followed as being
both convenient and well known.