I', in,, UMMIIKS IU.I>TK\T1' ;;;, 



In preparmi; ihe-4- biographical -kit- hes I have aimed to 

 tin- U-st material |>os>ible. lining my own note* only when I felt they 

 liasotl on adequate ob>crvati<>n>. Nut only ha\e I carefully ex- 

 amined the literature relating to the habits of our birds, .- ! 

 what seemed to l the most trustworthy accounts ,,f their ap|>ciirancc 

 in lifo. but through the generous co-ojieration of frllow-Minlrnt- "f 

 living 1-inls 1 am able to present t-huracter sketches of tmine of <.nr 

 bird-. written 1.;. who arc everywhere known for their -ym- 



pathy with liinls out-of-doors. Thus I have to thank Mrs. Miller, 

 Miss Merriam, Mr. itickncll, Mr. Brewster, Dr. Dwight, Mr. Thom|- 

 on, ami Mr. Torrey for IHTI pictures of birds with which tin-van- 

 illy familiar, each "ketch l>ein^ r Mfjneil by its author. 



JlluMtrtttiiHtM. The coloretl frontispiece is by Mr. Ernest E. Thomp- 

 son, whom I hare to thank for assistance in preparing the color chart 

 and Key to Families. The scheme of this key, which is founded on 

 natural arrangement and on drawings of anatomical iletuils, is original 

 with him. ami that here presented is a slight modification of the <>ne 

 he completed and contributed at a time when he was expected ' 

 joint author of this work. The numerous |n-n-and-ink drawings, whii 1 

 add so largely to the value of the work, were made by Mr. Tap[.an 

 Adney from specimens in the American Museum of Natural History. 

 Some of the full-page half-tone plates are from photographs of groups 

 in the American Museum of Natural History ; the larger numlxT, how- 

 ever, were esjHJcially designed for this work, with the assistance of Mr. 

 J. Rowley, Jr. 



The Color Chart. It must not be supposed for a moment that the 

 colors on the Plate II. represent the colors of all the birds of eastern 

 North America. It does not do so any more than an artist's palette 

 shows all the colors of his picture in fact, I have called this plate 

 my mental palette, and have frequently used two and even three terms 

 to describe a given shade or tint. 



It should be clearly understood, therefore, that when grayi.-h brown, 

 for example, is mentioned, it <\v* not follow that the feathers to which 

 the term is applied are of exactly the same color a> the plate, but that 

 they are nearer t<> this color than to any other in the plate. Used ev.-n 

 in this general way. the plate will prove a far more definite la-U f"r 

 description than if every one were left to form his own idea of the 

 colors named. 



