COUES, BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND. 6 



there, do not proceed, as a general rule, farther north 

 than Massachusetts ; and many others, properly to be re- 

 garded as stragglers from the South in summer and early 

 autumn, are rarely if ever found beyond the latitude of 

 this State. In like manner, many of the regular winter 

 visitants of Maine are of rare or only occasional occur- 

 rence, or are not found at all much farther south. Again, 

 many species hardly known in Massachusetts and south- 

 ward except as migratory species passing through in 

 spring and autumn, are in Maine regular summer visit- 

 ants, breeding abundantly. Other minor differences, 

 resulting from latitude and physical geography, will 

 readily be brought to mind by attentive consideration of 

 the subject, and therefore need not be here detailed. It 

 will be evident that a due regard for these important 

 points has necessitated, in the case of almost every species 

 in the list, remarks elucidative of the special part it plays 

 in the composition of the Avifauna. 



In the following list the New England species are given 

 in italics, and those contained in the Museum of the In- 

 stitute are followed by the numbers and localities of the 

 specimens in the collection. All other North American spe- 

 cies represented in the Museum are printed in "Koman." 

 The list is thus made an exponent of the present condition 

 of the Museum so far as North American birds are con- 

 cerned, without interference with its character as a synop- 

 sis of those of New England. The nomenclature adopted 

 is mainly that of Professor Baird's "Birds of North 

 America," with such modifications as my own investiofa- 

 tions have led me to adopt. 



I take pleasure in acknowledging the free use I have 

 made of previously published local lists, for obtaining 

 data relative to the comparative abundance or scarcit}^ of 

 species, their times of arrival and departure, and for 

 information upon particular points which a general knowl- 

 edge of the distribution of species does not aflbrd. In- 

 formation relative to the accidental occurrence of species 

 in particular localities must necessarily be chiefly drawn 

 from these sources ; and I have in every such instance 

 been careful to insert references. For all statements for 



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