INTRODUCTION 



WHILE this book is designed primarily to aid the beginner and to 

 meet the needs of schools and of the amateur bird student, the 

 arrangement and selection of material is consistent with the best 

 scientific usage. ORDER and FAMILY as given on page headings 

 will facilitate the student in acquiring a knowledge of the scien- 

 tific groupings of birds. Not only will this aid in field identifica- 

 tion but it is a preparation for deeper study of the subject. 



The taxonomic order and scientific nomenclature of birds are 

 those given in the official American Ornithologists ' Union Check- 

 List of North American Birds, including latest supplements. The 

 student is thus linked with scientific publications and with the 

 museum arrangement of bird study skins. Deviations from the 

 Check-List are few and unimportant. In vernacular names of 

 species the possessive form is discarded as, for instance, Bell 

 Sparrow is used instead of Bell's Sparrow while transposition of 

 species, within the family, is resorted to where comparisons can 

 be better made thereby. Other deviations are noted in the text 

 in their proper place and are justified by common acceptance 

 and usage among Western ornithologists. 



The Distributional Maps used in connection with the drawings 

 are based on the Check-List and Supplements, amended to con- 

 form to latest investigations. Ranges thus shown are approxi- 

 mate only, the maps being too small to permit precise definition. 

 They are intended for quick reference in noting the general 

 distributional status of a bird. Thus a glance shows whether a 

 bird is "exclusively western," "restricted to southwest," "found 

 all over the United States," "summers in North America, winters 

 in South America," etc. It is hoped that this graphic representa- 

 tion of range will extend the interest from local field work to such 

 fundamental problems as migration routes, food-supply, adapta- 

 tion to environment, and other geographical factors. The maps 

 show both winter and summer ranges when known. 



Species and forms described are those known to occur with a 

 fair degree of regularity in proper territory and season. Rarities 



