i0ia 1 63 



Mi UiiiuM Stone for Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New 



J< rsey 

 Mr I J ll Baih ■, for Virginia. 

 Mr 'I Gilbert Pearaon for North Carolina. 

 Mr Arthur T Wayne foi South Carolina 

 Prof, Lynda Jonea for Ohio. 

 Mr Benj. 'I Gault for fllinoi 

 Prof. Waltei B Barrowi for Michigan 

 \>i Thoa S. Roberta for Minnesota. 

 Mr ( li.-i R Keyea for Iowa. 

 Rev P B Peabody for Kani b 

 Mr l-.'l'.v R. Warren for Colorado 

 Mr \r< rta A Saunders for Montana. 

 Mi Allan Brook* for British Columbia. 

 Mr 8 l Rathbun for Washington 



Mr. Wrn. /.. Kinley for Oregon. 



Mr \ B Howell for California. 



ly all of these collaboratora have reported more or less progress in 

 aiou ing interest in thi (fori among their corr e spondents and considerable 

 materia] ha iw en ent in and filed away for future use, but in {»r too many 

 ea ' - thi re ults of their labors have been disappointingly small. Thia is 

 due to the following causes: — 



(1) The water birds have always been the most neglected class of 

 American birds, because to many ornithologista they are the most inac- 

 cessible and the least interesting Consequently there ia little information 

 about them available Unfortunately the information about the ivater 



birda ia wanted first,. 



(2) Throughout the settled portion* of North America there are com- 

 paratively few wate r birda -'ill breeding and they are becoming scarce in 

 many sections even as migrants. In regions where crater birda are still 

 abundant there are very few competent observers who have tunc to devote 

 to bird study. 



('.',) The third cause, the only one of the three that can be removed, is 



the apathy and indifference Of the men who COUld give the information 



wanted if i hey could only be induced to do so. Many good ob ei vet have 

 promised to contribute but through procrastination or for lacs of timo 

 have failed to do so as yet. Many men seem to prefer to publish their 

 not< in the current periodicals, where they appear promptly, Bui there 

 :im a host, of others arhosi inter* I ha vet to be aroused to the nea 

 of cooperation, if thia work i.s ever to be brought to a w i • ful conclusion 

 l' to be hoped that collaborators arill succeed in arousing mon enthu- 

 i in thia work ho that the publication of the next volume may oot be 

 too long delayed 



Eighteen life histories have already been written, but as they contain 

 mainly the resulta of Mr Bent'a pel onal ob* rvation together with such 

 quotations from published material aa seemed desirable to make f U< m more 



