PREFACE. ix 



States Department of Agriculture has placed me under great 

 obligations for much information for which the Survey has 

 not always been given credit in the text; Prof. W. W. Cooke's 

 paper on the Distribution and Migration of American Ducks, 

 Geese and Swans, also his paper on the Distribution and Migra- 

 tion of North American Shore Birds, and Mr. W. L. McAtee's 

 paper on Our Vanishing Shore Birds, all published by the 

 Survey, have been utilized freely in the preparation of this 

 volume. It would be extremely ungracious for any one at 

 the present day to write anything on the economic relations 

 of birds without acknowledging his indebtedness to the pains- 

 taking workers of the Survey, who have given to the world 

 the greatest amount of valuable material on such subjects 

 ever published anywhere. Mr. Charles W. Johnson, curator 

 of the Museum of the Boston Natural History Society, has 

 given every opportunity to both author and artist whenever 

 specimens have been needed for examination. Mr. Ralph 

 Holman has placed all his field notes at my disposal. The 

 ornithological nomenclature used in heading each description 

 of a species is that contained in the third edition of the Check 

 List of the American Ornithologists Union, published in 1910. 

 The range of each species is taken from the Check List in 

 nearly all cases, though somewhat abridged. The statements 

 regarding the decrease of birds taken from various authors 

 are not quoted in full, but are abridged, care being taken not 

 to distort their assertions. Dr. M. L. Fernald has placed me 

 under obligations by bringing down to date the names of plants 

 in the lists on pages 582-587. Other scientific nomenclature 

 of plants and animals is given unchanged as taken from various 

 authors from the time of Audubon to the present day. 



Much of the manuscript necessarily was written and re- 

 vised when I was fully occupied in other work of an executive 

 character, often when travelling by train or boat, and at a 

 distance from any library; otherwise, the task could not have 

 been completed within the time limit. It is to be regretted that 

 a work of this kind should have been done of necessity under 

 circumstances of pressure that precluded literary excellence, 

 but care has been exercised to state only facts, and I have en- 



