6 EDITOR S PREFACE. 



To the same outrage is mainly to be ascribed that im- 

 perfection of the present volume, of which no one can 

 be more fully aware than the editor. Resuming his avo- 

 cations with nearly a year's arrested work of various 

 kinds upon his hands, it was found impossible to give 

 the present treatise all the attention he would other- 

 wise have been able to bestow upon it. He was also 

 cramped for room to adequately treat the many remain- 

 ing Birds of New England in one volume which should 

 approximately equal the first in enforced number of 

 pages. He may therefore with propriety deprecate criti- 

 cism of Part II., in so far as his responsibility for it is 

 concerned ; and refer, in evidence of the embarrassment 

 to which he alludes, to some of the matters which divided 

 his attention during the period of which he speaks. 



The " Coues Check List," etc., which was sent to 

 press in September, 1880, revision for its second edi- 

 tion having been completed in July of the same year, 

 was practically suspended until his return, and further 

 delayed in publication until June, 1882. The second 

 edition of the " Key," etc., long contemplated both by 

 publisher and author, could not be put to press until 

 some months after his return, entire rewriting of the 

 work, with addition of much new matter, being required 

 to bring it up to date. Each of these works being in 

 press while the present treatise was in the same state, 

 all of them far behindhand, .the three together made 

 unusually urgent demands upon time and patience ; and 



