OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 503 



tion is most inimical to the retention of the species in their pniper and favorite itsorts; 

 they are destroyed on account of the injiu-ies, fancied or r<-al, which they are Kuj.poscd 

 to commit. Many of the insect-eating birds also feed occasionally on berries; and 

 now, when land o^vllers have destroyed the wild and uncultivated berry-bearing trees 

 and shrubs and vines, such as the wild-cherry, gum-berry and the wild mazzard, for- 

 merly common in our woods, the native raspberry, blackbeny, whortlebciry and 

 grape, they are forced to claim their natural right to a few of the cultivated kinds fmm 

 our gardens, a visitation that is sure to be met with a greeting of jiowder and lfa<l by 

 the liberal owners; the wanton destruction of every living thing dotlied with feathers, 

 by the town or city gunner; the use of the destructive reaper and mower, whicli un- 

 sparingly destroys the nest, and sometimes even the old birds, that breed «»m or near 

 the ground. Our beautiful and interesting partridge probably sutlers more from this 

 cause than any other. These and similar causes have brought about the fearful dimi- 

 nution which is so much to be regretted by every riglit thinking person. But from tho 

 enaction of our present bird laws, and by the dissemination of information among our 

 agricultural population on this and kindred subjects, and by the institution of societies 

 for the promotion of scientific knowledge, we may reasonably expect their future pre- 

 servation, if not an increase in numbers. 



The progress which American ornithology has made for the last fifty years, is sure 

 and gratifying to its students and investigators. Tlie Brotlierhood has just been called 

 upon to mourn the loss of one of its most learned and devoted members, John Cassin. 

 The results of his genius and learning are a rich legacy to the lovers of the sciences. 



Bartram, the Willoughby of America, was probably one of the fu'st who wrote on 

 the subject (1791) and described a limited number of species; he was followed l>y Alex. 

 Wilson, who described 283 species in 1814; Bonaparte in 1838, increased the number to 

 471; the indefatigable Audubon figures and describes in 1844, 506 species; Spencer F. 

 Baird, the learned Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, with the co-opera- 

 tion of John Cassin and J. N. Lawrence, enumerates in his system of American 

 ornithology, comprising the discoveries made by the explorations and sun-eys ^>f tho 

 Pacific Railroad, and the previously discovered species, in all 738, including '22 species 

 considered not properly belonging to North America. In our s>niopsis we have adopt- 

 ed the orders and families used in that complete work on the ornithology of North 

 America, omitting the sub-orders and sub-families as useless for our pin-i>ose. It 

 may be thought that it was unnecessary to divide a mere local list of siiccics into 

 orders and families; but our objept in doing so, is to exliibit at a glance the number of 

 families we possess of each order, and the number of species of the family, compara- 

 tively with those contained in the entire Fauna of North America, as far as known. 



We owe acknowledgments to Prof. S. S. Rathvon and to Mr. C. II. Nauman for 

 valuable information, and to Mr. A. C. Libhart for information in regard to those 

 species that breed in the county. 



ORDER I. RAPT ORES. 

 Predatory in their habits. 



Family Vulturid.e— The Vultures. 



Feed on offal and carrion. Known No. of species in N. A., 4— in the county. 1. 

 1. Cathartes aura, {Linn.,) Rlig.; the Turkey Buzzard. Resident in summer; frc- 

 quent; breeds in the county. 



Family Falcoxid.e— The Falcons. 



Predatory, capture their prey, feed on small quadrupeds, bird.s fish and reptiles. Known 

 No. of species in N. A., 41— in the county, 10. 



