vi PREFACE. 



mittee on Classification and Nomenclature of North Amer- 

 ican Birds was reappointed^ to take charge of the work. 

 The Committee held sessions in Washington, D. C, January 

 15-19, 1894, and February 12, 13, 1895, to outline the work 

 and to rule on the questions involved in the publication of 

 the revised List. The revision of the matter relating to the 

 geographic distribution of the species and subspecies was 

 undertaken by the Committee as a whole, each member in 

 turn taking it in hand, while the incorporation of typographic 

 and other rectifications made during the sessions of the Com- 

 mittee,^ and the final preparation of the manuscript for the 

 printer, was referred to a subcommittee consisting of the 

 Editor of ' The Auk,' to whom was also assigned the general 

 editorial supervision of the work. 



The following extracts from the Introduction to the Code 

 of Nomenclature (pp. 14, 15) will serve to explain the scope 

 and plan of the Check-List, including the method of incor- 

 porating additions. 



" I. That the term ' North American/ as applied to the proposed 

 List of Birds, be held to include the continent of North America 

 north of the present United States and Mexican boundary, and 

 Greenland ; and the peninsula of Lower California, with the islands 

 naturally belonging thereto. 



'*2. That species be numbered consecutively, and that subspecies 

 be enumerated by affixing the letters «, b^ c, etc., to the number borne 

 by their respective species ; provided, that any subspecies of a species 

 not included in the North American Fauna shall be separately num- 

 bered as if a species. 



"3. That stragglers or accidental visitors, not regarded as com- 

 ponents of the North American Fauna, be distinguished by having 

 their respective numbers in brackets. 



* With the exception of Mr. H. W. Henshaw, who was unable to serve, and 

 Dr. C. Hart Merriam was appointed in his stead. 



^The Committee desires to here acknowledge valuable assistance received, 

 especially in the preparation of the geographic portions of the list, from Major 

 Charles Bendire, Mr. Frank M. Chapman, Dr. Walter Faxon, Dr. A. K. Fisher, 

 Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., and Dr. T. S. Palmer. The Committee is further indebted 

 to Dr. Palmer for numerous corrections in the citations of original references. 



