INTRODUCTION XXV 



histories, 14 main species accounts plus 34 lesser ones of accompanying 

 subspecies. These are the accounts that appear here without a 

 "contributed by" authority listed in the heading. He had also 

 arranged with other ornithologists, myself among them, to write on 

 species with which he had had little or no personal experience in the 

 field. In his files awaiting publication were a number of histories 

 by such seasoned contributors to previous volumes as Alfred O. Gross, 

 Alexander Sprunt, Jr., Winsor M. Tyler, and Robert S. Woods. 

 Dr. Tyler, of whom Mr. Bent wrote, "He should have been named 

 as one of the authors," had predeceased Mr. Bent, and his 35th and 

 final life history, that of the eastern goldfinch, appears in this volume. 



Aware of the magnitude of the task ahead of him, Taber began soon 

 after Mr. Bent's death to recruit volunteers to help him complete the 

 series. Within the next few years he was able to assign most of the 

 unfinished species to ornithologists familiar with them, while he him- 

 self tackled the remaining few with his customary zeal and enthusiasm. 

 That he was not overly well I learned only when he wrote me early in 

 August 1960, asking me to assume his life history responsibilities in 

 the event he was unable to complete them. Despite his failing 

 health, he continued to work hard and faithfully at the task he had 

 set himself until the very day of his sudden and premature death, 

 August 31, 1960. 



Ornithology is not a static science and the decade since Mr. Bent's 

 death has seen many changes in its concepts as well as additions 

 to our knowledge in the form of new discoveries. To reflect these 

 changes and developments, and at the same time to keep this final 

 volume in as close accord as possible \\dth its predecessors in content 

 and style as well as format, it has been necessary to establish a num- 

 ber of editorial policies. 



Though we have followed the A.O.U. Check-List of North American 

 Birds, 5th edition, 1957, for the scientific names of species and sub- 

 species, for conformity with the earlier volumes we have retained the 

 vernacular names for subspecies used in the 4th edition. A few slight 

 changes in these vernaculars have been deemed advisable. The 

 only other departure from the 5th edition not indicated clearly in 

 the text has been the dropping of the melodious (Cuban) grassquit, 

 which has no rightful place in the North American avifauna (see 

 Auk, 1963, p. 73). 



Unfortunately none of the histories that Mr. Bent left, or that 

 Taber added to the files, bears a date of completion. Several ac- 

 comits by other authors I know antedate Mr. Bent's demise. Two 

 of my own contributions, those of the Japanese hawfinch and Cassin's 

 bullfinch, date from 1949. I have found it necessary and advisable 

 to update these older manuscripts in a few cases where significant 



