38 



Omitting orders 7 and 15, it will be seen that our foregoing- 

 classification, answering perfectly well as it stands for groiij)- 

 ing the known birds of the world, will serve us for classifying 

 our present known North American species. Orders 7 and 15 

 are so individual in their character, and so easily to be recog- 

 nized, that they need no special additional mention. Order 7 

 stands for birds of the Ostrich type and order 15 for the 

 Penguins. Thus is the field of Universal Ornithology merely 

 suggested rather than fully treated of. To further separate and 

 characterize the families of the Birds of the World is no part 

 of the duty which we have laid upon ourselves, in the ar- 

 rangement of the present Avork. In properly setting forth 

 the families of the North American species, we shall find that 

 we will have pur hands more than full : nev^ertheless, we shall 

 attempt to do it, and hope that our efforts will prove satisfac- 

 tory to ourselves and to those who may choose to avail them- 

 selves of the results of our labors in this most fascinating and 

 delightful field of research. 



