HYPOTHETICAL LIST. 



Primarily a hypothetical list is intended to indicate those 

 species which may be almost certainly expected to occur, though 

 not as yet positively detected, but in addition I have included 

 here species reported in previous lists and which subsequent 

 investigation has shown are not entitled to be called birds of 

 Maine and are never likely to occur here. Records for the 

 State, based upon specimens which are most certainly escaped 

 captive birds, are given here. Here too are included many 

 species cited as birds of the State by former authorities upon 

 their erroneous interpretation of Mr. Boardman's records, or 

 upon their geographical ignorance. For example, many of 

 Mr. Boardman's birds taken at Grand Menan, or at Indian 

 Island, have been persistently cited as Maine birds by writers 

 of intelligence who should have known better, for both Grand 

 Menan and Indian Island are British territory, and belong to 

 the Province of New Brunswick. It seems necessary that all 

 erroneous records should be cited in each succeeding list, 

 otherwise some busy delver in the records of the past will rake 

 up these old records, assume that the present writer has over- 

 looked them, and in placid self-consciousness re-affirm these 

 old records which have been repeatedly denied or disproven. 

 It is indeed an almost thankless, hopeless task to prevent the 

 periodical bobbing up of erroneous records, as many people 

 reading the original never see the subsequently printed revoca- 

 tions or denials. 



As the species included under this section are not birds of 

 Maine, I have not given any description of them or considered 

 their habits and life histories, but have given briefly reasons 

 why they should or should not be considered entitled to be listed 

 at present. Many of the hypothetical species are mentioned in 



