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INTIIODUCTION. 



Natural History Hories, an<l was (Usvoti'il to a (IcHcription of tlu! Ijiiid WmU occur- 

 riti}^ west of tho |{oi'ky Moimtaiiis ami iiortli of Mt-xico, having boiui Holiicteil 

 as the volume most suitaltle to suoceed tlKtse of (leology ami Palu'ontology 

 already ])ulilishetl, partly Wecause it was thouglit tiiat the sulijeet would prove 

 popularly attractive, and i)artly because circumstances favored its being more 

 rapidly completed than the other volumes of the Natural History Series possibly 

 could be. 



For the volume of Land l?irds published in 1870 by the California Survey, 

 the biographical portion was chictly drawn from the notes of Dr. J. G. Cooper, 

 Zoologist of the Survey ; and by mutual con.sent these notes were placed in the 

 hands of Professor Baird, at that time in charge of the Natural History Depart- 

 ment of the Smithsonian Institution, in order that they might be worked up 

 at the place where a more copious supply of materials and greater facilities for 

 such an undertaking existed than at any other scientific centre in this country. 



The result was the publication, in 1870, of a volume entitled : " Ornithol- 

 ogy. Volume I. The Land JJirds." It was illustrated by nearly eight hundred 

 woodcuts, each species (except in the case of the Rnptorc^) being represented 

 by a head of life size, introduced witii the text, and intended to bo colored by 

 hand, and each genus by a fuU-lengtli Kgure, together with numerous diagrams 

 giving the details of wings, claws, and such other parts as are of special value 

 in generic determination. 



During the preparation of this ornithological volume of the California series 

 of Reports, it was agreed between the State Geologist and Professor IJaird that 

 the illustrations of that volume should l)e used by him in a work of larger scope, 

 including the Land Birds of all North America; and this plan was carried out, 

 the result being the well-known work, in three volumes, entitled "A History of 

 North American Birds : Land liirds," by Messrs. Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway. 

 This work — completed in 1875 — followed clo.sely the California volume in its 

 general style, appearance, and manner of illustration ; the principal exception to 

 this being that the heads were placed together at the end of each volume, and 

 printed by the chromolithographic process, uistead of being colored by hand. For 

 these volumes between seven and eight hundred illustrations were furnished by 

 the California Survey ^vithout charge — Professor Baird having promised, in return 

 for this favor, that the portion of the Ornithology remaining to be completed 

 and published as a part of the California Report should include all the Water 

 Birds of the continent north of Mexico. The propriety of this stipulation must 

 be evident to all, since it was clear that, after the appearance of the work of 

 Messrs. Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, there would be only the most limited 

 demand for the much less comprehensive one previously issued by the California 

 Survey. 



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