PREFACE. xi 



arsenical poisoning by spraying, was written by Mr. For- 

 bush. 



The drawings for the insect plates were made by Mr, 

 Joseph Bridgham, Miss Ella M. Palmer and Mr. J. H. 

 Emerton. The drawings of appliances and tools were made 

 by Mr. C. A. King. Messrs. A. H. Kirkland, R. A. Cooley 

 and C. P. Lounsbury made the drawings for the anatomical 

 plates. Most of the other drawings were made by Mr. 

 Kirkland. 



We are under obligations to the Boston Woven Hose and 

 Rubber Company, W. & B. Douglass, Gould Manufacturing 

 Company, A. H. Nixon and John J. McGowen for cuts 

 of spraying apparatus ; also to Estes & Lauriat for three 

 cuts from " Coues' Key to North American Birds," Little, 

 Brown & Company for three cuts from Baird, Brewer and 

 Ridgway's "North American Birds," and J. B. Lippincott 

 for two cuts from " Birds About Us," by Dr. C. C. Abbott. 



It only remains to perform the pleasant duty of acknowl- 

 edging the many favors which have been bestowed upon us 

 by those who have assisted in the preparation of this work. 

 Acknowledgments are due to the scores of foreign corre- 

 spondents, both eminent naturalists and government officials, 

 who have furnished information, and also to residents of 

 the infested district, who have given useful information, 

 and whose names appear in Appendix G. In our biblio- 

 graphical researches we have been most courteously and ably 

 assisted by the officials of the Boston Public Library and 

 those of the libraries of Harvard University, Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology, Arnold Arboretum, Boston Society 

 of Natural History, Boston Athenaeum, Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society and Massachusetts Agricultural College. 

 To Mr. Samuel Henshaw we are especially indebted for 

 assistance in obtaining many references concerning the 



