PREFACE. 



Since the publicatiou of my Catalogue of the Birds of Kansas, iu 

 1883, the American Ornithologists' Union have prepared and published a 

 revision of the nomenclature and classification of North American birds, 

 the present accepted, authoritative and standard work. A new edition 

 has therefore become necessary. In the mean time, our knowledge of 

 the birds has increased, and we have become better acquainted with the 

 bird-life of Kansas, especially in the unsettled western portion of the 

 State — a field yet comparatively new to us. 



In addition to the description of the nests and eggs of the birds, I 

 have given their times of arrival, and the earliest nests with eggs no- 

 ticed. The breeding season, however, does not really commence until a 

 little later; and as the State is four hundred miles east and west, and 

 rises from an elevation of about seven hundred and fifty feet to one of 

 about four thousand feet, the times of their arrival must necessarily 

 cover a greater period than would be given to a single locality. 



The Catalogue of 1883 embraces 320 species and races; of these, 161 

 were known to breed iu the State. The list, as revised, embraces 335 

 species and races; of these, 175 are known to breed in the State. A few 

 species and races not appearing in the work have been found both north 

 and south of our limits, and iu migration doubtless pass through the 

 State; and it is a surprise tome that the apparently common birds should 

 have so far escaped our notice. The geographical central position of the 

 State makes it a favorable location to catch strao-glers and visitants from 

 the adjacent avifaunal provinces, and I feel confident that the list will 

 ultimately reach at least 350. 



In this Catalogue, as in the former, I have included only the birds 

 that have come under my own observation, and knowledge gathered from 

 reliable sources. The latter, when new to me, have been duly accredited 



