PREFACE. 



My little book on the birds of Cali- 

 fornia has been written, not for scientists 

 but for those who wish to have an 

 introduction to our familiar birds in 

 their native haunts. If it persuades 

 some few of its readers to go out of 

 doors and look at nature with a more 

 friendly and inquiring eye, its purpose 

 will have been accomplished. That a 

 certain skeleton of scientific classifica- 

 tion should underlie the work has 

 seemed necessary in order to convey to 

 the uninitiated some inkling of the syste- 

 matic grouping of the various species, 

 but I have endeavored to subordinate 

 the science to life wherever possible. 



Several of the essays have been 

 previously published in Zoe^ The San 

 v 



