INTRODUCTORY. 



15 



a list of all the fossils known to occur in the State. This list shows 

 also the geological formation in which each species is found, and is 

 accompanied by a bibliography of Indiana paleontology, making a 

 paper which will doubtless be of much value to all collectors and 

 students of the remnants of that rich fauna and flora which once 

 existed in or near the waters in which the rocks of our State were laid 

 down. 



The Birds of Indiana.— Students of Natural History through- 

 out the State have long felt the need of a descriptive work on the 

 birds of Indiana, which would enable them to readilv recognize any 

 species which might come into their hands. Such a work, I am 

 pleased to say, has been prepared for the present volume by Mr. A. W. 

 Butler, formerly of Brookville, Indiana, now Secretary of the Board 

 of State Charities. Mr. Butler has devoted many years to the study 

 of Indiana birds, and no man in the State knows more of their habits 

 and distribution than he. For twenty-two years he has been gathering 

 the data for such a report, and for that reason it can be relied upon as 

 accurate and comprehensive. 



In the paper will be found a description of each of the 321 species 

 of birds which have been identified within the bounds of Indiana in 

 the past; together with a description of the nest and eggs, and a state- 

 ment of the geographical range of each species. An artificial key to 

 the species is also given which will enable any one, after a little prac- 

 tice, to bring about their ready identification: 



An account of the food habits and song of each species is also added, 

 together with a statement of its abundance or scarcity, the season of 

 the year in which it occurs within the State, and the time of its arrival 

 therein and departure therefrom. A bibhography of the literature 

 pertaining to Indiana birds and a list of those species which, by reason 

 of their reported occurrence in adjacent States, may also occur within 

 Indiana, is also given. 



The work has been prepared with as few technical terms as possible 

 in order that it may be readily used by boys and girls of the farm who 

 come daily in direct contact with the birds, and by the pupils of our 

 schools, who should have a more general knowledge of the names, 

 songs and beneficial habits of our feathered friends throughout the 

 State. 



