Vol. XV 



I Merrill, In Mcmoiium : Charles liviil Bcndire. 



search of the records were accumiUaied, it was found advisable to 

 extend the scope of the work which, in its final form, is well 

 described by its title ' Life Histories of North American Birds,' 

 though this name was not decided upon until much of the first 

 volume was written. In the preparation of this volume a great 

 deal of material for the succeeding volumes was gathered, and it 

 should be here recorded that had more encouragement been given 

 to the work in certain quarters, the subsequent volumes would 

 have appeared promptly, and the proposed five, or possibly six, 

 volumes might have been almost, if not quite, completed before 

 the author's lamented death. The resulting logs to American 

 Ornithology is greatly to be deplored, for the two volumes which 

 have appeared fill a place peculiar to themselves and no other 

 publication is in any way a substitute. The first volume, issued 

 in July, 1892, was greeted with the greatest satisfaction by orni- 

 thologists, and while it met with scant notice in 'The Auk,' 

 foreign journals gave it a most cordial welcome. This was fol- 

 lowed in September, 1896, by the second volume, which fully 

 sustained the author's high reputation, and upon these will rest 

 Major Bendire's secure fame as an ornithologist. 



Besides the uniform excellence of the work, two points deserve 

 especial mention, although this is not the place for a general 

 criticism, nor are trite expressions of praise needed to enhance 

 the high appreciation of the work by ornithologists. One is the 

 care exercised in giving the geographical distribution of each form 

 and the extent of its breeding range ; these, based upon the latest 

 and most reliable data and the personal identification or reidentifica- 

 tion of specimens, are beyond comparison the best ever published. 

 This necessary examination of specimens was most fortunate, for 

 it had much to do with extending the scope of the work as orig- 

 inally planned, and gave the author an enviable position as an 

 ornithologist of sound judgment. The second point is the large 

 amount of fresh, unpublished material incorporated in the ' Life 

 Histories ' ; much of this is based upon the author's ow^n observa- 

 tions during his long residence in the West supplemented by 

 information derived from his extensive correspondence, the 

 authority and credit for which are carefully given. 



A word as to the plates cannot be omitted. No superior work 

 has. ever been done, and no praise can be too great to apply to 



