48 BIRDS OF THE NEW YORK CITY REGION 



visitor to find any particular species readily and compare it 

 with its immediate relatives. In four special cases there is a 

 seasonal collection, which exhibits mounted specimens of 

 the bird-life from month to month. The first two cases 

 contain the permanent residents, which are always present. 

 The third case contains the summer residents. In March 

 only those species which arrive from the south in that month 

 are shown, in April the new arrivals are added, and so on 

 until June, when all the summer residents have arrived. This 

 case is accordingly empty during the winter months. The 

 fourth case, nearest the window, contains the regular tran- 

 sients and winter visitants. As each species arrives or de- 

 parts, it is added or withdrawn. In June, when the summer 

 resident case is full, there are no transients or winter residents 

 present, and the fourth case is accordingly empty. The 

 irregular winter visitants are added only in those winters 

 when they are present. In this way a few minutes' inspection 

 will enable the visitor to see mounted specimens of all the 

 species of birds present near the City at the time of the visit. 



CHANGES IN BIRD-LIFE 



It is apparent that the growth of a great city, the develop- 

 ment of many suburbs and summer resorts, must have pro- 

 foundly changed the original character of the territory 

 covered by this Handbook. In early colonial times the vast 

 coastal marshes were replaced inland by a forest which 

 stretched unbroken to the Prairies. Game of all kinds 

 abounded. The woods were full of Wild Turkeys, also Pigeons 

 in season. Presumably the Pileated Woodpecker was gener- 

 ally distributed. The marshes were stocked with wild-fowl 

 in great variety and abundance, including Pelicans, Cranes, 

 and Swans. The bird-fauna, however, of these times must 

 ever remain outside the field of exact knowledge. 



Ornithological history in our territory may definitely be 

 said to begin about one hundred years ago with the work of 



