78 SYLVIID^E I SYLVIANS. 



in 1868, and another by the late lamented Dr. T. M. 

 Brewer, in 1875, w ^h * ts two supplements of 1878 

 and 1879 respectively. Shortly after my list appeared, 

 Dr. Brewer wrote to me, criticising my performance in 

 general and in particular, both as to my method of 

 compiling a local list, and as to the appearance in the 

 list of various species, to the number of about thirty, 

 which he protested had no proper claim to a place 

 there. I replied, in substance, that I knew what I 

 was about, and that I would suggest to him to make 

 a better list of New England birds, if he thought he 

 could do so. When his list appeared, some years 

 afterward, he expurgated about thirty species, nearly 

 all of them being among those I had included, and 

 nearly all being also species which he was compelled 

 to restore to the list within two years. I submit that 

 the general accuracy and good scientific character of 

 my list have been fully vindicated. 



The point at issue appears to be this : Neither 

 author, of course, would include any species, of the 

 occurrence of which in New England he was not fully 

 satisfied. But each had his own way of satisfying 

 himself. If either of us had confined his list to such 

 species as he knew, of his own personal knowledge, 

 to occur, neither list would have approached any- 

 where near completion. I had not myself seen in New 

 England one half of the birds in my list ; and I doubt 

 that Dr. Brewer's list would have come within a hun- 

 dred species of completion if he had confined himself 

 to such species as he had actually seen in New Eng- 

 land. The two lists, therefore, are in every sense 

 compiled, each author availing himself of all the in- 

 formation in his possession, whether derived from per- 



