fwß^fmwm. 



Part I of NehrKng's work has met -with a reception never bdore accordeu ^ ,,., ornitliological 

 worlf ovcr published i« this coimtry. The mos t prominent authorities on omithology and the leadinj^ 

 litcrary and scientific papei-s pronotjnce it thc best populai work on the subject ever issued siuce 

 Audnbons time. Frcm a great nambcr of letters and reviews the like of which no -writer on bird-life 

 everreceived betbr'j — the follo-^ving extracts are made, showing the character and scope of the work. 



Prof. Wv. Brewst^. Museum of Comparative 



ikjology, Caiabridge, Mass., a. uaioralist of tlie highest rank, 

 an adiülrahle writer, a great oriüthologist, wiitcs io the 

 author : 



Ti-'l.gnvg by the First Part, which has jr.st re^chcd mc, your 

 N'ir '■■ Atni.rican Bird?" hids fair vo echpse even'lhing of thc 



kiu.i 



has hitlierty apj-eared. In fact it can ciicouatet no 



formidabit competitioE for, since Avdubon we have Iiad tio 

 ,i.'eneral Y.-ork from compctcnt liauds which has dealt at aÜ 

 thorougWy and sr.tisfactorily with the populär side of the sub- 

 ioct, that is, with the ILt histuncs of our birds The üted of 

 M ^ !> ? 'ic . .k is presäir.g aud to one who has the couraije. abiJ- 

 !l • ..!i.i . . <', irces necCÄsary for au undertakiug of such raagiii- 

 'uQe i.i.. ;.■, ;ci is practicaliy untrod.ieu. 



That von possess the requisites just mentioned I oannot 

 dciibt. In additioti you inay count safdy on the hearticst Sup- 

 port from your brothcT ornitholoaists whose confideiicc von 

 'iaTe already .von bv your able andvaluable papei s, especjäUy 

 ihoäe ou Te.vau birJs. 



Thepl-in of your work seems to me admirable in every 

 way, tconsidering its avowed populär missiou,) andits literary 

 cxecution, as attested hy this Fnst I^art, iseridenlly to be >: 

 . 'n-v}, Order. \"our original passagcs are charmingly a'ritteu 

 ! ose taker. at secoud hand, show exoellent jndgement in 

 ; in. Ic is especiaily refreshing to mfss the old, hackne3cd 

 (juOLatio'is, wom thrcadbare by long and frcquent use. and to 

 t'.ad in their places so miich that is either quitc new or of receiit 

 origiri. If thc book iloes not niect with genera' favor and 

 jirove a niarked sucess tl.e fault must be charged to the public, 

 not thc author. 



Prof. J. A. allen. American AfuseujinofMaturalHistory 

 CVntral Park, New York City, a well-iciown scientist, 1 'resi- 

 dent of the American Omithologist's X5aioii, edit">r of the 

 "Auk", writes: 



The biographies are charmingly written, and have a fresh- 

 ncss and originfdity that is very pieasing. If »arried on as be- 

 gun 1 do rot sce why it should not stand at the hf ad of the list 

 of modern pcpular works on bird life in thi.- country and 

 ibroad. exceptiiig pcrhaps a siugle one*, as yet unconipleted, 

 and I fear never to be ünished. The plates are expressive and 

 truthful, and are as well finished, aud cven lietter, than one 

 would naturally expect in a work of such moderote price. The 

 ieitcr-prtss and typography sccra above cviticism. I am 

 iiware 1 am giving your work high praise, but not higher thau 

 i thiulc jt descives. 



• Dr. BIliott CoucB, Birds of the Colorado Vall«-;. 



^7*]. 



r>R. C. Hart Merriam, Oruithologist of the United States 

 Department of AgricuUure, author of "The Bird.s of Connecti- 

 cut" ar"' "■ — - '■''—!;•■'■'•■' -"-^iitific papersonuatnr"' '•■'■'^'• 

 writcE 



Por ■o.erii! ycars 1 have iooked Jorward to thc app< ^.i^iic^: 

 of Ihis work with tinusua! iatercst, and I am very g!ad tc See 

 that it is published in such good style, and that it contaias so 

 much iniormation of vahie, prcseuted in a pleasant and read- 

 ablt m.xiiner. 



Such a work as yon are now Publishing ha." long been 



;i?'-di d in thiscouutry — a work which combincs accuracy and 



■,ty ofbiography withaminimiiinof tcchnicaldescription, 



i iStratcd in such a way that all the figurcs are recogniz- 



ii'I'j. 1 trust its sale will wanant the very J arge atuouut of 



wonty exp'Sided in its publica tion. 



I take the deepest intcrest in this book of yonrs because I 

 belicve it to be a work of gi-eüt importance to .\merioan orni- 

 tholoj^y and iucotnparably the best book of Its kinü that has 

 ever appeared. 



Mr. E0GE.^f^i P Bjcslnell, Riverdale, N, Y. Cit?. oue of 

 the fortmost omithologists and one of the founders and 

 oScials of the American Omithologist's Union writes : 



Your work is far moresatisfactcty than other works which 

 have come betöre nie profestiing more than they periormed. 

 Yourpagesbear evidcncc ofcareful aud enthusiastie Observation 

 and study of our birds, and, whilc containing much having 

 th.-it valiie to science which ahvavs attath;-s to recürils of orig- 

 inal Observation, is, at the same time, by no me;ius too 

 technical for bird lovers who are not omithölogists. There js 

 an out oi-doors' «tmosphere to your pen-pictures, a davor of 

 the Woods and fJelds, which cannot faii to be appreciated by 

 all who anprcciato Nature. I ibink no one will dispute my 

 opiniou that your book is well adapted both to aroiise and to 

 lielp v-oisr,- im interest in \hi: Iratbered tribe. 



Prof. ü. Rfdgway, of the Smithsoaian Institution, 

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



£ took the books home with me, and have peruaed them 

 with very great pleasnre. In fact, I can truly say that I have 

 never enjoyed reading aboiit our birtls as I dd your articleii on 

 the Wood-Thrusb, Mockingbird, and other songstiis included 

 in the First Part of your work. Barring a fcw typographical 

 errors (wliirh are of courso inevitable) the work is in every re- 

 spect most adrnirable, and cannt>t fail to delight as well as tn- 

 struct all lovers of the woodö and their feathtred jubaWtaats 

 who are so fortunate, as to possess it. 



In the forthcoining Paias I lonk expcctantly forward to a 

 rare treat in the promiscd stnes oi beautitully'and trntiifuUy 

 writteniife-hifStones. The book wil! sure'.ydo much to makethe 

 pcople of our fair land V'Ctter acquainted with their socg-birds, 

 unfortuuately too Jittle knowu and too little appreciated by 

 them. 



Capt. CriAS. Be.ncdiee, U. S. A., now Cnrator of the Oolo- 

 gical Department of the United States National Museum, 

 Washington, D C. writes: 



Part 1. of your work "North American Birds" came tohand 



yes^erday I have only had a chauce to bnrry through 



the work, bot from even a haaty exar.iination I must say, that 

 it strikes nie as exceedingly well written, and giving a very 

 accur.ite and pleasing accoiint of the various S|)ecie.s treated. 

 I can See no Teason, w)iy it »liould not bea complete sucess and 

 take the place of a number of inferior works of thc kiud. Both 

 the practical ornithoiogist and the amatenr win f'nd the work 

 both interesting and instructing. 



Dr. Geg. Brno Ghisnkll, of New York, editor- in-chief 

 of the "Forest and Strcam", aud oue of the Icadiag omi- 

 thölogists, writes : 



t ejpr?S5 my admiration for the work that yon are doing. 

 A populär wori; on "North-Aroerican Birds", which shonld be 

 attractive, aceurale and at the sarac time so inexpcnsive as to 

 be within thc r^ach of all, has loug bci.n needed, and, if 1 may 

 judge from Part 1 ofyotix North American B:rds, we are now 

 to have such a volume It was high time that gotne on« 



