ADVERTISEMENT. 



This work (Special Bulletin No. 3) is one of a series of papers intended to 

 illustrate the collections belonging to, or placed in charge of, the Smithsonian 

 Institution, and deposited in the United States National Museiim. It supple- 

 ments Special Bulletin No. 1, by the same author, which containes descriptions 

 of the breeding habits and eggs of the gallinaceous, birds, pigeons, doves, and 

 birds of prey. 



The publications of the National Museum consist of two series — the Bulletin 

 and the Proceedings. A small edition of each paper in the Proceedings is dis- 

 tributed in pamphlet form to specialists in advance of the publication of the 

 bound volume. The Bulletin is issued only in volumes. Most of the volumes 

 hitherto published have been octavos, but a quarto form has been adopted for 

 works of the size and character of the present Bulletin. 



The Bulletin of the United States National Museum, the publication of 

 which was commenced in 1875, consists of elaborate papers based upon the 

 collections of the Museum, reports of expeditions, etc. The Proceedings are 

 intended to facilitate the prompt publication of freshly acqtiired facts relating to 

 biology, antlu-opology, and geology, descriptions of restricted groups of animals 

 and plants, discussions of particular questions relative to the synonymy of 

 species, and the diaries of minor expeditions. 



Other papers of more general popular interest are printed in the appendix 

 to the annual report. 



Papers intended for publication in the Proceedings and Bulletin of the 

 United States National Museum are referred to the advisory committee on 

 publications, composed as follows: Frederick W. True (chairman), R. Edward 

 Earll (editor), James E. Benedict. Otis T. Mason. Leonhard Stejneger, and 



Lester F. Ward. 



S. P. Langley, 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 Washington, D. C, June 10, 1895. 



