PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION. 



THREE editions of the Check-List of North American Birds 

 have been published, in 1886, 1895 and 1910, respectively. 

 The Committee that prepared the first edition consisted of Elliott 

 Coues (Chairman), J. A. Allen, William Brewster, Henry W. 

 Henshaw, and Robert Ridgway; the same committee with the 

 substitution of C. Hart Merriam for H. W. Henshaw was respon- 

 sible for the second edition, while the third was the work of J. A. 

 Allen (Chairman), William Brewster, Jonathan D wight, C. 

 Hart Merriam, Charles W. Richmond, Robert Ridgway, and 

 Witmer Stone. In 1912 Harry C. Oberholser and T. S. Palmer 

 were added to the Committee. 



Eighteen Supplements to the Check-List were published from 

 time to time, three of them subsequent to the appearance of the 

 third edition and eight between the publication of the second and 

 third. The personnel of the Committees that prepared the Sup- 

 plements and that served prior to 1919 varied considerably and 

 included at different times, in addition to those mentioned above, 

 Charles F. Batchelder, Frank M. Chapman, Charles B. Cory, D. 

 G. Elliot, Walter Faxon, Joseph Grinnell, E. W. Nelson, and John 

 H. Sage, most of them serving but a year or two. P>om 1913 to 

 1919 the Committee was inactive, and in the latter year it was 

 reduced in number from twelve to five consisting of Drs. Stone 

 (Chairman), Dwight, Oberholser, Palmer and Richmond. 



Those whose terms of service on the Committee covered the 

 greatest number of years are: Dr. Allen, and Messrs. Brewster 

 and Ridgway, 36 years; Drs. Richmond and Stone, 30 years; 

 Drs. Dwight and Merriam, 28 years; Drs. Oberholser and Palmer, 

 19 years, and Dr. Coues, 16 years. 



In addition to the Supplements a number of lists of proposed 

 changes in the Check-List have been pubhshed, one by Dr. 

 Chapman, one by Dr. Stone and eight by Dr. Oberholser, the 

 latter being of the greatest service in the preparation of the pres- 

 ent edition of the Check-List. These lists were unfortunately 

 misunderstood by some who have regarded them as representing 

 actions by the Committee, whereas they were merely lists of 



