4 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS 



" What is the bird that I have seen ? " The keys and the 

 illustrations have been prepared with this end in view. 

 There has been no attempt to give a complete description of 

 the plumage, as it would look if the bird were held in the 

 hand, nor does the book contain anything like full biogra- 

 phies of each species. Minute descriptions of the plumage 

 and full accounts of the lives of the birds are to be found 

 in many excellent books, some one of which may well be 

 used to supplement this Guide. 



Notes and songs have been carefully described, and as far 

 as possible expressed in English syllables. The author is well 

 aware that another listener would express the same sounds 

 by very different syllables ; he has not attempted to convey 

 to any one unfamiliar with the song anything more than an 

 idea of its length and accent, and perhaps a suggestion of 

 the quality of its tone. It is hoped, however, that the songs 

 as transcribed will be useful in identifying doubtful species, 

 that any one comparing the transcripts in the book with 

 his own field-notes, or, better still, with the songs themselves, 

 will recognize their likeness to that of one species and their 

 unlikeness to that of another. 



The descriptions given in this Guide of the nests and 

 eggs of those birds that breed in New York and New Eng- 

 land are not intended to be full or detailed. If a nest and 

 eggs have been found, but no clue to the parent birds has 

 been obtained, these descriptions will not serve as a means 

 of identification ; in fact, even a large collection of nests and 

 eggs is sometimes of little use in such a case. The descrip- 

 tions are merely intended to guide the student in his search 

 for a nest by indicating where it is generally placed, or if the 

 student thinks he has discovered the nest and eggs of a 

 certain species, they will tend to confirm or to dispel his 

 belief. 



The book attempts to be a guide for only a restricted re- 

 gion, — eastern New York, northern New Jersey, and New 



