INTRODUCTION 



This is the thirteenth in a series of bulletins of the United States 

 National Museum on the life histories of North American birds. 

 Previous numbers have been issued as follows : 



107. Life Histories of North American Diving Birds, August 1, 1919. 



113. Life Histories of North American Gulls and Terns, August 27, 1921. 



121. Life Histories of North American Petrels and Pelicans and their Allies, 

 October 19, 1922. 



126. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl (part), May 25, 1923. 



130. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl (part), June 27, 1925. 



135. Life Histories of North American Marsh Birds, March 11, 1927. 



142. Life Histories of North American Shore Birds (pt. 1), December 31, 

 1927. 



146. Life Histories of North American Shore Birds (pt. 2), March 24, 

 1929. 



162. Life Histories of North American Gallinaceous Birds, May 25, 1932. 



167. Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey (pt. 1), May 3, 1937. 



170. Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey (pt. 2), August 8, 1938. 



174. Life Histories of North American Woodpeckers, May 23, 1939. 



The same general plan has been followed, as explained in previous 

 bulletins, and the same sources of information have been utilized. 

 The nomenclature of the 1931 check-list of the American Orni- 

 thologists' Union has been followed. 



An attempt has been made to give as full a life history as pos- 

 sible of the best-known subspecies of each species and to avoid 

 duplication by writing briefly of the others, giving only the char- 

 acters of the subspecies, its range, and any habits peculiar to it. 

 In many cases certain habits, probably common to the species as a 

 whole have been recorded for only one subspecies; such habits are 

 mentioned under the subspecies on which the observations were made. 

 The distribution gives the range of the species as a whole, with only 

 rough outlines of the ranges of the subspecies, which in many cases 

 cannot be accurately defined. 



The egg dates are the condensed results from a mass of records 

 taken from the data in a large number of the best collections in the 

 country, as well as from contributed field notes and from a few 

 published sources. They indicate the dates on which eggs have been 

 found in various parts of the country, showing the earliest and latest 

 dates and the limits between which half the dates fall, indicating 

 the height of the season. 



The plumages are described in only enough detail to enable the 

 reader to trace the sequence of molts and plumages from birth to 

 maturity and to recognize the birds in the different stages and at 

 the different seasons. 



VII 



