APPROVAL BY THE UNITED STATES 
BUREAU OF EDUCATION 
In area Alaska is equal to New England, New York, New Jersey, 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the 
two Dakotas. A map of Alaska, imposed upon a map of the United 
States drawn to the same scale, would extend from Charleston, South 
Carolina, to San Francisco. The coast-line of Alaska is longer by 
many thousands of miles than the distance around the world at the 
equator. The climate of Alaska varies from the soft, even climate of 
southeastern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, similar to that of the 
coast of Oregon and Washington, to the uneven climate of the in¬ 
terior and of the Northwest, with its annual swing of more than 160 
degrees. 
We have heard much of Alaska within the last two decades—of 
its mountains, rivers, and plains; its seas, and islands, and glaciers; 
its forests and tundras; its fishing-waters and hunting-grounds; its 
gold and copper—but we know little about its abundant and varied 
bird-life; and the people of Alaska, particularly the white people, 
seem to know not much more. How varied this life is we might guess 
from the size, location, physical features, and climatic conditions of 
the country. A brief visit at the proper season of the year gives some 
idea as to its abundance. 
For the natives who have learned to read English, for the white 
settlers, for the numerous visitors, and for thousands interested in 
Alaska and all parts of the world, there has been need of such a brief, 
accurate, and readable account of the important forms of bird-life 
in the various parts of this great peninsula as that presented in this 
book, prepared under the direction of the National Association of 
Audubon Societies. That the people of Alaska may have an oppor¬ 
tunity to inform themselves on this subject, and to deal with it in¬ 
telligently, this Association has placed in the hands of the Commis¬ 
sioner of Education of the United States eight thousand copies of this 
book for distribution in Alaska. Every copy should bring some one a 
fuller appreciation of the beauty, the wealth, and the greatness of this 
country. 
