THE AUK : 



A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF 

 ORNITHOLOGY. 



Vol. XXV. April, 1908. No. 2. 



THE ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION OF BIRDS. 



BY CHARLES C. ADAMS. 



Contents. 

 I. Introduction. 

 II. Representative Literature on Habitats and Succession. 



1. Habitat Preference. 



2. Succession. 



III. The Major Avian Environments. 

 IV. Minor Avian Environments and their Associations. 

 V. Avian Succession. 



1. General Remarks. 



2. Succession on Isle Royale. 



a. The Aquatic Association and Habitat. 



b. The Shore and Marsh Association and Habitat. 



c. Bog-forest Association and Habitat. 



d. Aspen-birch Association and Habitat. 



e. The Climax Association and Habitat. 



3. Internal Factors. 



4. Environmental Factors. 



5. Environmental and Associational Convergence. 



6. Successional and Enviromnental Evolution. 



7. The Relation of Succession to Organic Evolution. 



VI. Some Advantages of a Knowledge of the Laws of Succession. 



" Of all truths relating to phenomena, the most valuable to us are those 

 which relate to their order of succession. On a knowledge of these is 

 founded every reasonable anticipation of future facts, and whatever 

 power we pos.sess of influencing those facts to our advantage." — John 

 Stuart Mill. 



" Indeed, some geologists seem to take pride in lack of knowledge of 

 principles and of their failure to explain the facts observed in the tenns of 



