IMiKKACK. vii 



ork 



lii.stoiv <il' till! Hpt'cios, lis, ill 18r>S, (nic ol' tin- iiutlidi's dl' tlu' inusciit w 

 jiiililislieil ii sysli'iiiiitic uceuiiiit "i' llii .linls nf Xiiitli Aiiicrica, t'linstilutiiiL;' 

 \nl. IX, of the si-rics (if I'acilic llailruiid lu'iKirls; wliilc IVoin tln' iicn nf 

 Dr. Klliiilt ( 'diii's, a well-know n ami omiiu'iit Diniliiuld^i^ist, ai)i)t'areil in iS7- 

 ii L'oiiiiirilifiisivc voliiiiic, I'Ulilk'il " A Key t(i NOitti Aiuciicaii Ilinls,'' coii- 

 taiiiiiig tlcseriptiini!? "l' llie wjieciL's ami lii.^luT ^roiips. 



Tiif tLH'liiiical, or tlcseiiplivi', iiialtiT ol' tlui picsL'iit work has liocii ])ifiiarcil 

 liy Messrs. Bainl and lliduway, that relating U\ the J,'((jil(,r(s entirely liy Mr. 

 Jlidgway ; and all the acediints ut' the habits ol' the sjiceics are Iroin the pen 

 of Dr. ISrewer. Jn adilitiou to the matter supplied hy these gentlemen, I'm- 

 i'essor 'i'heodure X. (iill lias I'liniislied that portion of tlie introduction de- 

 fining tlic class ol' birds as eomiiared with the otlua' vertebrates ; wiiik' to J)i', 

 Cones is to be given the entire credit for the jiages oiiil)racing the tallies of 

 the Orders and Families, as well as for the (llossary beginning on page ,"):!") 

 of Vol. 111. 



Nearly all the drawings of the fnll-length figures of birds <'ontained in the 

 work were made diri'ctly on the wood, by Mr. Edwin L. Sheppard, of IMiila- 

 deljihia, from original sketches taken from nature; while the heads were exe- 

 cuted foi' the most jiart by Mr. Henry W. Klliott and Mr. i{i<lg\vay. liolli 

 series have been engraved iiy Mr. Hobart II. Xichols of Washington. The 

 •reiierie outlines weri; drawn bv iVnton !-. Schimborn, and eiiiiiaved by the 

 jieculiar process of -lewelt, Chandler, & Co., of lUillalo. All of the.se, it is 

 believed, speak for themselves, and re(|uire no other commendation. 



A consideialije jiortion of the illustrations were jireparod, by the ])ersons 

 nienlioned aimve, for tiie IJeports of tiie (ieological Survey of California, and 

 published in the volume on Ornithology. To Professor Whitney, Chief 

 of the Survey, ackiiowledgiiients are due for the privilege of including many 

 of them in the jircsent History of Xorth American J'irds, and also for the 

 Ivxplanalion of Terms, ]page 't'H') of Vol, III. 



A few cuts, drawn by Wolf and engraved by Whymper, first juililished 

 in " ISritisli llirds in their Haunts," and credited in their proper places, 

 were kindly furnished liy the London Society for the Dillusion of Chris- 

 tian Knowledge; and some others iirepareil I'or an unpublished volume by 

 J)r. Pilasius, on tiie ISirds of (ierniany, were ol)tained i'roni Messi.s. N'ieweg 

 and Son, of r>raunsehweig. 



The volume on the Water Pirds is in an advanced .state of ]iieparation, 

 and will be publislied with the least p(jssible delay. 



SPENCER F. UAIitU. 



SMrni.siiNM.w iN.'^Trrrriox, Washington', 

 .ruimaiy 8, 1874. 



