INTRODUCTION 7 



375 remaining, 165 are popularly distinguished as water- 

 birds and 210 are land-birds. Of these, 29 water-birds and 

 37 land-birds are accidental wanderers from various points 

 of the compass, chiefly from the West and South; 30 more 

 are of decided rarity, leaving about 280 species of some- 

 what regular occurrence, of which about three-sevenths are 

 water-birds, a relatively large proportion due to the coast- 

 wise situation. 



For the convenience and better information of the user 

 of the list, the extinct and extirpated species, hybrids or 

 problematical forms, and introduced species which now 

 form an integral part of our avifauna, have been inserted 

 in their systematic places, as nearly as possible. 



The sequence of species is that of the checklist of the 

 American Ornithologists' Union, 3rd edition, revised, pub- 

 lished in 1910. Under each species is given the checklist 

 number, for easy reference; one or more vernacular names, 

 that standing first being the one adopted by the A. O. U.; 

 the scientific name as given in the checklist, accented for 

 the benefit of those whose memory is short or classical 

 training imperfect; notes relating to numerical abundance 

 and seasonal distribution whether resident, migrant, or 

 otherwise; the dates between which the species has been 

 observed here; its preferred haunts; and the location of the 

 nest and time when eggs have been found, if it breeds. 



These data have been compiled from a variety of pub- 

 lished sources and from considerable personal observation 

 in many parts of the territory covered. The dates of arriv- 

 al and departure are in the main those given for the State 

 by Dr. G. M. Allen in his New England list published by 

 the Boston Society of Natural History in 1910. These 

 have been modified, however, in numerous instances, with 

 reference to the eastern part of the State, from other 

 sources, notably Mr. William Brewster's " Birds of the Cam- 

 bridge Region" and Dr. C. W. Townsend's 4< Birds of Essex 

 County," and from personal and other memoranda. 



