﻿ILLUSTRATOR'S 
  NOTE 
  

  

  In 
  illustrating 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  importance 
  and 
  scope 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  one 
  

   it 
  has 
  been 
  necessary 
  to' 
  draw 
  upon 
  larger 
  material 
  than 
  was 
  available 
  in 
  

   my 
  own 
  cabinets, 
  so 
  recourse 
  was 
  had 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  complete 
  collections 
  

   of 
  others. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  birds 
  and 
  smaller 
  water 
  birds 
  have 
  

   been 
  drawn 
  from 
  specimens 
  of 
  my 
  own 
  collecting, 
  while 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  

   species 
  were 
  kindly 
  loaned 
  by 
  different 
  institutions; 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  

   Museum 
  at 
  Albany, 
  the 
  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  in 
  New 
  

   York, 
  and 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Zoology 
  of 
  Cornell 
  University. 
  

  

  The 
  living 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  bird 
  is 
  seldom 
  well 
  expressed 
  by 
  a 
  dried 
  

   skin, 
  however 
  perfect 
  it 
  may 
  be, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  a 
  specimen 
  gives 
  

   no 
  hint 
  of 
  the 
  grace 
  and 
  beauty 
  furnished 
  in 
  life 
  by 
  the 
  bright 
  colors 
  of 
  the 
  

   perishable 
  parts: 
  the 
  eyes, 
  the 
  soft 
  skin 
  of 
  bill 
  and 
  feet 
  of 
  many 
  water 
  birds, 
  

   and, 
  in 
  rare 
  cases, 
  the 
  living 
  feathers 
  themselves. 
  For 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  

   birds, 
  notably 
  the 
  group 
  of 
  Black-headed 
  gulls, 
  some 
  terns, 
  and 
  the 
  larger 
  

   mergansers, 
  whose 
  white 
  plumage 
  is 
  suffused 
  at 
  certain 
  seasons 
  with 
  a 
  

   most 
  beautiful 
  tinge 
  of 
  shell-pink 
  or 
  rosy 
  cream-color 
  which 
  is 
  evanescent, 
  

   and 
  soon 
  fades 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  carefully 
  prepared 
  and 
  cherished 
  skin. 
  The 
  

   rich 
  colors 
  often 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  bill, 
  legs 
  and 
  feet 
  also 
  change 
  with 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   cess 
  of 
  drying, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  cause 
  of 
  surprise 
  and 
  regret 
  to 
  students 
  to 
  find 
  

   how 
  meager 
  is 
  the 
  literature 
  bearing 
  upon 
  this 
  important 
  item 
  of 
  bird 
  

   coloration. 
  It 
  is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  find 
  concise 
  descriptions 
  of 
  even 
  

   the 
  more 
  striking 
  of 
  these 
  transitory 
  beauties, 
  while 
  those 
  less 
  brilliant 
  

   but 
  not 
  less 
  beautiful 
  and 
  interesting 
  are 
  generally 
  allowed 
  to 
  pass 
  entirely 
  

   undescribed. 
  Thus 
  it 
  early 
  became 
  apparent 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  if 
  such 
  data 
  

   were 
  to 
  be 
  recorded 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  done 
  from 
  actual 
  specimens, 
  painted, 
  in 
  

   short, 
  from 
  living 
  or 
  fresh 
  taken 
  birds, 
  before 
  the 
  settling 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  fluids 
  

   or 
  the 
  disintegration 
  or 
  absorption 
  of 
  pigments 
  could 
  take 
  place. 
  This, 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  said, 
  is 
  frequently 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  only 
  an 
  instant, 
  and 
  in 
  most 
  cases, 
  

   also, 
  the 
  high 
  color 
  is 
  only 
  attained 
  in 
  adult 
  birds 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  

   the 
  breeding 
  season. 
  

  

  9 
  

  

  