PREFACE. IX 



abreast of that of any other country; and, indeed, as 

 I have written elsewhere in these pages, they have been 

 called " the pioneers of modern ornithological science." 

 Besides their more technical work, the American stu- 

 dents have written some of the best chapters of bird 

 biography to be found in the entire range of ornitho- 

 logical literature. 



While this is but a frank statement of facts, we must 

 concede that the older writers noted so carefully the 

 habits of the birds they knew that comparatively little 

 was left for their successors to discover. 



It was suggested to me that the new might be com- 

 bined with the old, — that an interesting and useful 

 book might be prepared by taking Nuttall's biographies 

 and inserting brief notes relating the results of recent 

 determinations in distribution and habits. That is what 

 I have attempted in the present work. The Introduc- 

 tion has been given exactly as it appeared in Nuttall's 

 second edition, and the text of the biographical matter 

 has been changed but little. My notes follow each 

 chapter in a smaller type, that they may be readily 

 distinguished. I have also rewritten the descriptions of 

 plumage, and have endeavored to phrase these in such 

 well-known and untechnical terms that they may be 

 understood by unskilled readers. To these I have 

 added a description of the nest and eggs of each 

 species. In short, an effort has been made to prepare 

 a work that will be useful to young students, as well 

 as entertaining to those who are merely interested in 

 birds. 



The new matter has been selected with special re- 

 gard for the needs of these classes of readers, for I 



