650 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 1858 [84 



1858. Baird, S. F., Cassin, J., and Lawrence, G. N.— Continued. 



General text, pp. 1-920. Appeudix A, Additional Kemarks on North Amoiican 

 Birds, pp. 921-925 ; Appendix B, Birds found at Fort Bridger, Utah, pp. 926, 927 ; 

 Appendix C, List of Authorities referred to (an important piece of bibliography), 

 pp. 928-954 ; Indexes, pp. 955-1005. 



This report is complete in itself, and entirely independent of the various 

 special articles by different naturalists of the several Surveys ; an elaborate 

 formal treatise on all the birds of North America north of Mexico. It repre- 

 sents the most important hingle step ever taken in the progress of American 

 ornithology in all that relates to the technicalities. The nomenclature is 

 entirely remodelled from that of the immediately preceding Audubonian period, 

 and for the first time brought abreast of the then existing aspect of the case. 

 It was adopted by the Smithsonian Institution, and thousands of separately 

 printed (4to and 8vo) copies of the "List of Species" were distributed during 

 succeeding years to institutions and individuals ; the names came at once into 

 almost universal emiiloy, and so continued, with scarcely appreciably diminished 

 force, until about 1872. The synonymy of the work is more extensive and elab- 

 orate and more reliable than any before presented ; the compilation was almost 

 entirely original, very few citations having been made at second-hand, and these 

 being indicated by quotation-marks. The general text consists of diagnoses or 

 descriptions of each species, with extended and elaborate criticisms, compari- 

 sons, and commentary. Of the general character of the specific determinations, 

 it may be said that the authors' tendency was to push specific discriminations 

 beyond a point now usual ; so that, though the work contains notably few purely 

 nominal species, it has many that have proven to be simply geographical races. 

 Tabular lists of the specimens examined, with localities where procured, col- 

 lector, date of collection, and many measurements, are given. The work includes 

 no biographical matter, nor is it illustrated. 



The appearance of so great a work, from the hands of a most methodical, 

 learned, and sagacious naturalist, aided by two of the leading ornithologists of 

 America' exerted an influence perhaps stronger and more widely felt than that 

 of any of its predecessors, Audubon's and Wilson's not excepted, and marked 

 an epoch in the history of American ornithology. The synonymy and specific 

 characters, original in this work, have been used again and again by subsequent 

 writers, with various modification and abridgment, and are in fact a large basiiS 

 of the technical portion of the subsequent History of North American Birds by 

 Baikd, Bkeweb, and Eidgway. Such a monument of original research is likely 

 to remain for an indefinite period a source of inspiration to lesser writers, while 

 its authority as a work of reference will always endure. 



Many of the novelties secured by the diflerent surveying parties were pre- 

 viously described; the following are the genu, and spp. nn. of this work: — 

 Picoides dorsalis, p. 100 ; Sphyrapicus, p. 101 ; S. nuchalijs, p. 103 ; Hylatomus, 

 p. 107; Colaptes hybridus,'p. 122; Nephocaetes, p. 142; Tyrannus couehii, p. 175; 

 EmiMonax difficilis, p. 198; E. xoiightii, p. 200; Turdus nlicice, p. 217; Frotono- 

 taria, p. 239 ; Oporornis, p. 246 ; Oroscoptes, p. 346 ; Cathcrpes, p. 3.')6 ; Thriothorus 

 belandieri "Couch", p. 362; Parus occidentalis,\>. 391; Carpodacits californicus, 

 p. 413; Plectrophanes melanomus, p. 436; Cenirovyx, p. 440; Pooccetes, p. 447; 

 Melospiza, p. 476 ; If. heermanni, p. 478; If. gouldii, p. 479; Passerella schistacea, 

 p. 490; Cyanospiza, p. 500; Pipilo megalonyx, p. 515; Corvus americanus var. 

 Jloridanus, p. 508; O. caurinus, p. 569; Cyanoeitta woodhouseii, p. 585; Ortalida 

 Jf cCaHii, p. 611 ; Pediocaetes, p. 625; Oreortyx, p. 642; Gi us f rater cuius Cass., p. 

 656 ; Hydranassa, p. 660 ; Hcrodias egretta vdr.- calif arnica, p. 667 ; Ardea wurde- 

 manni, p. 609 ; Florida, p. 671 ; Aegialiiis nivosa Cass., p. 696 ; Arquatella, p. 714 ; 

 Tringa cooperi, p. 716; Micropalaina, p. 726; Heteroscelus, p. 734 ; Anser frontalis, 

 p. 762; Aristonetta, p. 793; Bucephala, p. 79."); FeUonetta trcwbridgii, p. 806; 

 Podiceps occidentalis Lawr., p. 894 ; P. clarkii Lawr., p. 895. 



Many copies of thif volume were reissued in 1860 under an entirely different 

 title (Birds of America, eXc.,q.v.), .accrmpauied by a second vol. of pll. — these 

 plates being all those which belonged to the various detached ornithological 

 reports of the several naturalists of the Pacific Kailroad Surveys, those of the 

 Mexican Boundary Survey, and many new ones, raising the total to 100. 



