108 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



and productions that is exceedingly favorable to the development and 

 maintenance of a highly diversified fauna; and in respect to the 

 number of species represented, its Avian-fauna will compare favor- 

 ably with that of other North American inland localities in the same 

 latitude. Moreover, it has been well established that river valleys, 

 owino- to their luxuriant vegetation, and, consequently, abundance of 

 insect life, are favorite routes of migration with birds, — this being es- 

 pecially true of those valleys extending in a general north and south 

 direction ; situated therefore, as it is, in the midst of a highly culti- 

 vated section, and traversed by the fertile valleys of the two ^liamis 

 and the Whitewater — here converging toward the Ohio, this locality 

 is dou])tless one of the most prominent concentrating ajid distributing 

 points in the Ohio Valley for many migratory species. 



Tlie classification and nomenclature have been brought down to 

 date so far as practicable ; the " Land Birds " being arranged in ac- 

 cordance with " North American Birds " by Baird, Brewer and Ridg- 

 way; the "Water Birds " according to Dr. Cones' " Key" and " Check 

 List. '■ The changes in nomenclature which have been required since 

 the publication of these works, have been dul}' noted in the present 

 list so far as the literature at hand would admit, and the authorities 

 referred to in the accompanying footnotes. 



The nomenclature of the higher groups is that proposed by Dr. 

 Coues, and adopted by Baird, Brewer and Ridgway in " North American 

 Birds." In this arrangement, Dr. Coues recognizes two primary groups 

 of existing birds, — the Ratitae or Struthious Birds and their allies, re- 

 presented by the Ostriches, Apteryx, etc. ; and the Carinatse or birds 

 with a keeled sternum, which includes all the remaining species of re- 

 cent birds. These are further divided into minor groups, called or- 

 ders and sub-orders for convenience, although not distinguished by 

 characters that would be considered of ordinal value in other classes of 

 vertebrates. Of the Carinate birds, under which head all our species 

 come, there are fourteen of these orders, all of which are represented 

 here excepting one — the Sphenisci or Penguins. 



Species known to breed in this vicinit}' are designated by an aster- 

 isk (*) ; those inferred to do so, by an obelisk (f ). The dates of arrival 

 and departure are of course approximate, being the average of obser- 

 vations extending through several years. 



