tending to the conservation of this valuable part of the 
nation’s wealth, is the mission of the Audubon Societies. 
It is with that purpose in view that this and other public¬ 
ations of the National Association are issued, and that its 
extensive work in the schools of the country is carried on. 
It is greatly to he hoped, therefore, that all of the 
teachers in Alaska into whose hands this volume may fall will 
give serious attention to it, and make use of its contents in 
their school-work. Examination will show that careful 
attention has been paid by the editor to the diction, fore¬ 
seeing that the book was likely to be used in reading-classes, 
as a source of material for exercises in English composition, 
and in other ways; therefore a good literary style was desirable. 
Accompanying the colored plates, which have been made 
by capable artists with critical care for accuracy, are outlines 
of the figures, which a child may color with his paint-brush 
or crayons, either from a living bird, or from the portrait- 
plate. No better way has been devised of fixing the colors of 
a bird in the mind than this; and in many schools the 
coloring of these outlines takes the place of the ordinary 
exercise in drawing. 
In gathering material for the book it was found expedient 
to conduct some original field-work, and therefore the 
Association, cooperating with the Government, maintained a 
naturalist, Mr. George Willett, at the St. Lazaria Bird Reser¬ 
vation during the summer of 1912, to study and report upon 
the wild-bird life of that vicinity. 
In 1913 a similar work was carried on at the Forrester 
Island Government Bird Reservation by Dr. Harold Heath. 
The expense of this field-work, as well as the cost of 
publishing this hook, was borne by a member of this Assoc¬ 
iation, whose generosity has made it possible to accomplish 
many useful undertakings along similar lines. 
T. GILBERT PEARSON, 
Secretary. 
4 
