characteristic birds are western; few distinctively eastern 
birds extend into this section. A portion of it lies farther 
east than the Mouse river; but the birds of the latter dis- 
trict are decidedly more eastern in character and itis therefore 
embraced in section 2. Observations in the Missouri section 
have been made principally by Mr. J. D. Allan at Mandan 
and Mr. L. F. Crawford at Dickinson. 
The letters which follow the section numbers show 
what season the bird lives in the state, as follows: 
N (nests)—bird is a summer resident and breeds here. 
M (migrates)—bird visits the state on spring migra- 
tions northward and on its return in the fall. 
W (winter)—bird spends the winter in the state re- 
turning north in the spring. Many of these become ex- 
tremely rare in the middle of the winter, because when the 
weather gets too severe they go a‘little farther south. 
Y (year) —bird is a permanent resident of the state. 
~ When both N and M are used they indicate that most 
of the specimens that are seen merely cross the state on their 
migrations, but some are known to build their nests within 
our boundaries. ‘Two other letters are sometimes combined 
for a similar purpose. i 
> The numbers that precede the names correspond to the 
A.O. U.Check List of North American Birds, revised edition, 
and will be a convenience in finding English synonyms and 
scientific names. This can be done in any up-to-date manual, 
of whichitis assumed that the student has one, as he can- 
not accomplish much without it. Perhaps the best are 
J. M. Chapman’s Handbook of the Birds of Eastern 
North America, price $3.00. 
Florence Merriam Bailey’s Handbook of Birds of 
Western United States, price $3.40. 
A.C. Apgar’s Birds of the United States East of the 
Rocky Mountains, price $2.00. 
All these books are illustrated. Chapman’s book does 
not treat of all the western varieties found in the state, and 
for observers stationed west of the Red river section Bailey’s 
book is probably better. Apgar covers the entire range of 
the state, but his descriptions are simpler and less complete 
than in the others named, and consequently are sometimes 
insufficient for the identification of a bird. It is a very use- 
ful book for beginners. 
LL  —— a 
