p^ospecTOS, 



Part T of Nehrling's work has met with a reccption never before accorded to any ornithological 

 irk ever published in tüis country. The most prominent anthoritics on ornitholog^' and the leading 

 ' rary and scientific papers pronounce it tlie best populär work on the subject ever issued since 

 idubon's time, From a great nuinber of letters and reviews the like of which no writer on bird-life 



\er received before — tbe following extrn-" i-r - , ' > ;, ^ ^i character aad scope of the work. 



Pkop. Wm. Bkewster, af the Museum of Compaiaü.c 

 ologj', Cambridge, Mass., anatiiralist of the highes t rank, 

 . -admiral'U- vv-iter, a great omithologist, writes to the 

 .;bor: 



Jndjöng ^y the First Part, •whicli has jnst reachcd me, your 

 .-«orth .Amcricfin Pirds" bids fair to ecli|ise everything of the 

 kiud v.'iiich liis liitheito appeared. Tu fact it caii encounttr no 

 formidable compf tition for, since Audubo!^ wo have had no 

 gener.'J vvoik froin competent hands which has dealt at all 

 thoroughly and satisfactorüy with the poptilar side ol the sub- 

 ject, th.nt is, wit}i tbp life liistories of om' birds. The need of 

 such a book is pressiug aud to one wao has the courage, abil- 

 ity and rc^ources nt.-ccssary for an undertaking of such magiu- 

 tude the field is practically untror'don. 



Tliat.you posscssthc requisites just mentioned I cannot 

 doubt. In adfütion yon tnay count safely on the heartiest Sup- 

 port from your brothcr ornithologists whose cojihdence you 

 iiave already won by your able andvaluable papevs, especially 

 those ou Texan birds. 



The plan of your werk seems to me admirable in cvery 

 way, (considering its avowed populär mission,) andits literary 

 cxecution, as attested by this First Part, is e\-idcntly to be of 

 a high Order. Your original passage^ are cbanningly written 

 and those taken at second hand, sh.ow exceüent judgcmeut in 

 selcction. It is csiuoiaüy refreshing to miss the old, haokncjeci 

 quotations, wotD tln ea Jbare bj- long and fiequent ase, aud to 

 find in their places so miich that is eithtr quite ncw or of recent 

 origin. If the book does not iiicct with general faror and 

 ■ )vc a marked sucess tbe fault most be charged to the public, 

 t the author. 



Prov. J. \.. .\llE!<, American Musettm of Natural History, 

 . tral Park, New York City, a well-known scientist, .Presi- 

 :.t oftbe Amon— - n-„i,i...|.,..;=f'. ti,,;,^,, ,.,i;tf,r- ,,f ,1,.- 

 .ik", writes: 



■ i arc chariiuugly v.Titiea, -iiiL! uiive a ucsh 

 i / that is vtry pleasiiig. If carried on as be- 



! ( '.vhy it should uot stand ^zt the head of the list 



:iv«;.-i!i pi>- u!.?r works on bird lifc- in tiiis country and 



-■> "i • V. , . n/'-K-.-it; a Single one*, as yet uncoiuplctcd, 



d. The plates are expressive and 



lisUed. and cvea better, than ono 



rally cx;)eci. ui a work of such moderate price. The 



and typography scem abovc criticisni. I am 



giving yoiu- work high praise, btit not liighet ! ' 



nid 



,,r-i 



■ .irc 



link 



natu 

 •ress 

 I am 

 itd. 



Sir"i:s. 



• Dr. EDiott Cone«, Birds of the Colorado Vaaey. Vol. I. ClST-tJ. 



C. Hajjt Mkrrum, Omithologist of the United States 

 leut of Agriculture, author of "The Birds of Connei'ti- 

 i many othcrhigWy scientific papers on natural history, 



:lLS; 



Por: 



ni. 

 ah: 



■>era1 vears I havc looked forward to the appearaucc 

 ' unusual interest, and I am very glad to see 

 1 in such good stj'le, and that it contains so 

 lUon of value, prcsentediaa pleasant and read- 



-'- - - -iTj nrc now publisl:'' — V-- Vmg beon 

 — .-1 work wbicl-i cou ■ ■\c\ .iiui 



.i'li.-. '.i.Tiiraumof t--- . rcriptioii 



t all the hgurcs are rcci.' 

 ■ ut the verj' !avgc amoui 

 A.|>eiidcd iu itii puuiicaiion. 



i lake the Jeeptst interest in this book of yours because 1 

 (icUevo it to bc a work of great importance to American orni- 

 thology, and incomparably the best t>ook of its kind that has 

 ever appeared. 



Mh. Ecgknk P. Bicknku,, Riverdale, N. Y. City, one of 

 the foremost ornithologists and one of the founders and 

 officials of the Americau Omithologist's Union writes; 



Your work is far more satisfactory than other works which 

 have conic t)efore me professiiig move than Lhey performed. 

 Yourpagosbearevidenae ofcareful and ecthusiastic Observation 

 and study of our birds, and, wbiie coutainmg mueh having 

 that vaiue to sciencc which always attaches to records of orig- 

 inal Observation, is, at the same time, by no raeaus too 

 technical for bird lovers who are not ornithologists. There is 

 an out-of-doors' atmosphereto your uen-pictures, a flavor of 

 ihe woods and lieids, which cannot fail to be appreciated by 

 all who appreciate Nature. I think no one will dispute my 

 opitüon that your book id well adapted both to arouse and to 

 help satisfy an interest in the feathered tribe. 



Prot. R. Ridgway, of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 Washington, D. C, the great omithologist and artiat, writes : 



I took the books home with me, and have perused them 

 witli very great ple.asure. In fact, I cao truly say that I have 

 ncver enjoyed reading about our birds as I did your articles on 

 the Wood-Thrush, Mockiiigbird, and other songsters included 

 in the First Part of your work. Barnng a few tvpographital 

 errcrs (which are ofcourse inevitable} the work is in every re- 

 spect most admirable, aud catiuot Oaii to deUght as well as in- 

 struct all lovers of the woods and their feathered inhabitants 

 who are so fortunate, as to posscss it. 



In the fortlfcoining Parts I look cxpectantly forward to a 



:are treat i;i the promised series of bcautifully and trutbfiilly 



,. I ;Ti-,.nIife-historjcs. The V)ook will surely do much to niakethe 



A-- of our fair land better acquainted Vk-ith their song-birds, 



.lunately too Jictle knowu and too little appreciated by 



thcia, 



Capt. Cras. Bendfre, U. S. A., now Curator of the Oolo- 

 gical Department of the United States National Museum, 

 Washington, D. C. writes: 



Part I. of your work "North American Birds" came tohand 



.'esterday I have only h.ad a chance to hurry through 



the work, but from evcn a hasty examinatiou I must ■jay, that 

 it strikcs n-.e as exceedingly well writtcn, and giviug a very 

 acciirate and pleasing account of the various species treated. 

 I can see no reixson, wny it shotild not be a complete sucess and 

 take the place of a numix'r of inferior works of the kiud. Üoth 

 the pnictical ornithclogist and the amateur will find the work 

 both iutci-esting and jnstructiug. 



of New York, editor- in-chief 

 . nnd one of the leading orni- 



Dr. Geg. Birp Grinnell, 



of the "Forest and StreriTr." 



tbologists, writes : 



i T ,...,. r.„-o „,„ -..■!.,,,,.,.,,, , , .,,. .,,.. j. ^,,,.1 ,>;'i are duing. 



North-American IMrds". which should be 



nnd at the «anic time so inex{>cnsive as to 



hin tue reacu of all, has long been necded, aud, if I raay 



liom Part I of your North American Birds, we are now 



j to liAve such a volume It was high time that som« ono . 



