PREFACE 



females differ radically in color from the 

 males they are shown whenever practicable. 

 Many birds go through a seasonal change of 

 plumage which requires special study and 

 observation on the part of the amateur bird 

 student. No attempt is made to describe 

 the plumage except to call attention to some 

 striking patch of color that will serve as a 

 distinct field mark. 



The lengths are given in inches, and are 

 averages, some birds are longer and some 

 shorter than the figures quoted. 



The arrangement of the birds and the text 

 was made without regard to their proper 

 order in the check-list and simply follows a 

 whimsical plan of my own, bearing in mind 

 that the average person is first interested in 

 the smaller land birds that are found about 

 his home. 



The classification and nomenclature used 

 in this book are those of the 1910 Check-List 

 of the American Ornithologists' Union. Al- 

 though many new sub-species have been 

 recognized since its publication there is still 

 much controversy regarding them and it was 

 thought best to keep to the accepted list. 



The paragraphs on distribution are based 

 mainly on Ridgway's Birds of North and 

 Middle America, with some minor changes 

 iv 



