tending to the conservation of this valuable part of the 

 nation's wealth, is the mission of the Audubon Societies. 

 It is with that purpose in view that this and other public- 

 ations of the National Association are issued, and that its 

 extensive work in the schools of the country is carried on. 



It is greatly to be hoped, therefore, that all of the 

 teachers in Alaska into whose hands this volume may fall will 

 give serious attention to it, and make use of its contents in 

 their school-work. Examination will show that careful 

 attention has been paid by the editor to the diction, fore- 

 seeing that the book was likely to be used in reading-classes, 

 as a source of material for exercises in English composition, 

 and in other ways ; therefore a good literary style was desirable. 



Accompanying the colored plates, which have been made 

 by capable artists with critical care for accuracy, are outlines 

 of the figures, which a child may color with his paint-brush 

 or crayons, either from a living bird, or from the portrait- 

 plate. No better way has been devised of fixing the colors of 

 a bird in the mind than this; and in many schools the 

 coloring of these outlines takes the place of the ordinary 

 exercise in drawing. 



In gathering material for the book it was found expedient 

 to conduct some original field-work, and therefore the 

 Association, cooperating with the Government, maintained a 

 naturalist, Mr. George Willett, at the St. Lazaria Bird Reser- 

 vation during the summer of 1912, to study and report upon 

 the wild-bird life of that vicinity. 



In 1913 a similar work was carried on at the Forrester 

 Island Government Bird Reservation by Dr. Harold Heath. 



The expense of this field-work, as well as the cost of 

 publishing this book, was borne by a member of this Assoc- 

 iation, whose generosity has made it possible to accomplish 

 many useful undertakings along similar lines. 



T. GILBERT PEARSON, 



Secretary. 



