XVI PREFACE. 



cated). The genera of each section are marked by Roman 

 numerals, and the species belonging to them by capital letters 

 in parenthesis. The biography of each species is divided into 

 four parts : (a) a description of the mature birds (but not of 

 the young, for which see the Appendix E) ; (b) a description 

 of their nest and eggs ; (c) a description of their habits, and 

 (d) of their notes. In the first part, various minute details 

 are frequently omitted, which it has been thought unnecessary 

 to introduce. In spelling the English names of birds, the 

 following system has been here adopted. Specific names are 

 begun with capital letters to distinguish them from similar 

 names of groups (e. g. the Crow Blackbirds) ; when they are 

 composed partly of a family-name, such as "thrush," that 

 name is never compounded with another (e. g. Wood Thrush) ; 

 when they are compounds of "bird," that word is united by a 

 hyphen to a noun immediately preceding, but not to an adjec- 

 tive, except in cases to the contrary, established by long usage 

 (e. g. Cat-bird, Blue Bird, but Swamp Blackbird). 



Finally, that this book may prove useful to students, inter- 

 esting to lovers of nature, and acceptable to the public, is the 

 hope and wish of its 



1876. AUTHOR. 



