PREFACE. 



When, at Prof. Forbes's request, the writer consented to under- 

 take the preparation of a work on the birds of Illinois, he had 

 many misgivings as to his ability to perform the task within the alloted 

 time ; but by persistent labor during hours not required for other 

 engagements, difficulties have been surmounted and the volume 

 completed. 



Were it not for the generous and cordial permission of the Direc- 

 tor of the National Musuem to make use of the collections of that 

 establishment in the preparation of this work, the undertaking 

 would have been impossible to the author. The National Museum 

 contains thousands of specimens of birds from Illinois, contributed 

 by various naturalists now or formerly residing in the State, and 

 to these free access has been granted. Among the principal col- 

 lections are the following: (1) From Cook county and the south- 

 ern portion of the State (chiefly Union county), by the lamented 

 Robert Kennicott Illinois' first and most gifted naturalist, who 

 sadly ended a short but brilliant and promising career in the wilds 

 of Alaska; (2) from Cook county, by Mr. E. W. Nelson, of Chicago, 

 and (3) many interesting specimens from the same region by Mr. 

 H. K. Coale, also of Chicago; (4) contributions of rare and inter- 

 esting specimens from Warsaw, Hancock county, b.) Mr. Chas. K. 

 Worthen ; (5) a fine collection made at Mount Carmel, Wabash county, 

 by my deceased young friend, Mr. Samuel Turner, and presented 

 to the National Museum by his brother, Mr. Lucien M. Turner, 

 now of the U. S. Signal Service; (6) occasional interesting speci- 

 mens from Dr. J. Schneck, of Mount Carmel, and (7) specimens col- 

 lected by the writer in Wabash and Eichland counties, but chiefly 

 in the vicinity of Mount Carmel. 



The author is autoptically familiar only with the bird-fauna of 

 the southeastern portion of the State. At Mount Carmel, his native 

 place, observations were made almost continuously from about 1860 

 to 1867, while one month of each succeeding year has been mainly 



