9 



During the winter of 1869-70 I published additional 

 "Notes on some of the Rarer Birds of Massachusetts" 

 (Amer. Nat., Ill, Dec., 1869, Jan. and Feb., 1870), in 

 which ninety-two species were formally referred to, and 

 eight for the first time recorded as captured or observed 

 within the state (exclusive of one included by error of 

 identification, and four others perhaps not properly to be 

 regarded as indigenous or naturally occurring species). 

 Several species given in my previous list were now with- 

 drawn. The number of species then stood nominally at 

 three hundred and five, but in reality (or as judged by 

 the standard I have adopted for my present list) two hun- 

 dred and ninety-five. 



Later in the same year appeared Mr. Maynard's excel- 

 lent "Catalogue of the Birds of Eastern Massachusetts*' 

 (Naturalist's Guide, 1870, pp. 81-167), comprising nomi- 

 nally two hundred and ninety-nine species, but adding no 

 new ones. Applying the same rules of exclusion that 

 have been used in respect to the other before-mentioned 

 lists the number becomes reduced to about two hundred 

 and eighty-nine. Five or six were withdrawn as birds of 

 Eastern Massachusetts, but otherwise the list includes all 

 of the at that time authenticated indigenous birds of the 

 state except four, known at that date as occurring only in 

 ^the western part of the state. 



Since 1870 about twenty-five species have been added, 

 mainly through the investigations of Messrs. Brewster, 

 Purdie, Deane, and Maynard, including three first de- 

 scribed from birds taken within the state. No new 

 separate enumeration of the birds of Massachusetts has, 

 however, been since made, but in 1875 Dr. T. M. 

 Brewer published a new "Catalogue of the Birds of New 

 England" (Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XVII, July, 

 1875, pp. 436-454), in which, of course, those of Massa- 



