﻿lO 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Thus 
  it 
  has 
  come 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  j^art 
  of 
  my 
  field 
  work 
  for 
  the 
  

   past 
  lo 
  years 
  to 
  make 
  careful 
  color 
  notes 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  changeable 
  parts, 
  

   at 
  the 
  first 
  possible 
  moment 
  after 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  endeav- 
  

   ored 
  to 
  miss 
  no 
  opportunity 
  to 
  add 
  to 
  my 
  collection. 
  i\s 
  a 
  result 
  I 
  now 
  

   have 
  a 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  such 
  studies, 
  fairly 
  covering 
  the 
  field, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   freely 
  drawn 
  upon 
  in 
  this 
  work, 
  and 
  without 
  which 
  inany 
  of 
  the 
  subjects 
  

   could 
  not 
  possibly 
  have 
  been 
  rendered 
  even 
  slight 
  justice. 
  And 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  

   possible 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  incorrectly 
  represented, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   impossibility 
  of 
  getting 
  fresh 
  specimens 
  or 
  adequate 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  

   rarer 
  ones. 
  In 
  these 
  few 
  cases 
  reference 
  has 
  been 
  inade 
  to 
  such 
  descriptions 
  

   as 
  were 
  available 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  edition 
  of 
  Audubon 
  — 
  an 
  expedient 
  

   not 
  without 
  precedent 
  among 
  authors 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  and 
  plumages 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   present, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  impossible 
  to 
  devote 
  an 
  entire 
  plate 
  to 
  each 
  species 
  

   as 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  hope 
  of 
  all 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  work. 
  This 
  accounts 
  for 
  

   the 
  regrettable 
  combining 
  of 
  several 
  species 
  on 
  a 
  plate, 
  at 
  times 
  introducing 
  

   anomalous 
  conditions, 
  and 
  bringing 
  birds 
  together 
  that 
  seldom 
  see 
  each 
  

   other. 
  We 
  have 
  tried 
  hard 
  to 
  reduce 
  such 
  cases 
  to 
  a 
  minimum, 
  and 
  it 
  

   should 
  be 
  understood 
  that 
  where 
  these 
  occur 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  better 
  solution 
  

   apparent. 
  Among 
  the 
  water 
  birds, 
  presented 
  in 
  volume 
  i, 
  the 
  groups 
  

   are 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  not 
  unnatural, 
  though 
  frequently 
  crowded, 
  but 
  among 
  

   the 
  land 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  volume 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  frankly 
  face 
  the 
  

   situation, 
  do 
  the 
  best 
  we 
  could, 
  and 
  make 
  this 
  explanation. 
  

  

  Louis 
  Agassiz 
  Fuertes 
  

  

  Ithaca, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  

  

  