PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. XV 



with science, knows full well of Mr. Cassin's rare acquirements 

 in this particular department of Natural History. 



And we now gladly avail of this opportune occasion to make 

 our public acknowledgments to this gentleman for his many 

 valuable suggestions in reference to the execution of these 

 drawings, the securing of which, by the by, has been by far 

 the most difficult — in fact, we may freely say, the only unpleas- 

 ant as well as vexatious portion of our task. We also return 

 thanks to Mr. John Krider for his generous aid in supplying 

 us with the skins of several specimens of Birds, which assisted 

 materially in insuring correct Drawings. 



This is not the only good service that Mr. Krider has done 

 us as well as the rest of the craft during the last year ; for, in- 

 dependent of the many fine Guns that he has turned out from 

 his workshop, he has, with the valuable assistance of his friend, 

 ^Ir. H. M. Klapp, furnished us with his " Sporting Anecdotes," 

 a book replete not only with amusing but very instructive in- 

 formation regarding the habits of our Game Birds, Sporting 

 Dogs, &c. (fee. 



Mr. George AVhite, the principal Draughtsman, and I may 

 say pupil of Mr. Cassin's in this particular kind of Drawing, 

 has displayed much taste as well as artistic skill in his delinea- 

 tions of the Birds, and we doubt if he has many, if any, equal 

 on this side of the vasty deep in this special branch of Design- 

 ing. His Chapter Headings and many of the Yignettes are also 

 spirited and characteristic; the Title Page of the Four Seasons, 

 and Frontispiece as well, are very pleasing compositions, and 

 give still further evidences of his talent and genius as an Artist. 



With these few comments, we again send our volume forth 

 from the press, trusting, as before, far more io the well-known 

 generosity of the craft for its hind reception^ than to any great merit 

 of its oion^ but at the same time bearing in mind the good old 

 Latin proverb, that — " Frustra laborat qui omnibus placere 

 studet." 



