650 BIBLIOGEAPUICAL APPENDIX. 1858 [84 



1858. Baird, S. F., Cassin, J., a?(dLAWKENCE, G. N.— Continued. 



General text, pp. 1-920. Appendix A, Additional Kemarks on Nortli Amoiican 

 Birds, pp. 921-925; Appendix B, Birds found at Fort Bridger, Utah, pp. 926, 927 ; 

 Appendix C, List of Authorities referred to (an important piece of bibliography), 

 pp. 928-954 ; Indexes, pp. 955-1005. 



This report is complete in itself, and entirely independent of the varions 

 special articles by different naturalists of the several Surveys; an elaborate 

 formal treatise on all the birds of North America north of Mexico. It repre- 

 sents the moat important Mingle step ever taken in the progress of American 

 ornithology in all that relates to the technicalities. The nomenclature ia 

 entirely remodelled from that of the immediately preceding Audubonian, period, 

 and for the first time brought abreast of the then existing aspect of the case. 

 It was adopted by the Smithsonian Institution, and thousands of separately 

 printed {4to and 8vo) copies of the "List of Species" were distributed during 

 succeeding years to institutions and individuals ; the names came at once into 

 almost universal employ, and so continued, with scarcely appreciably diminished 

 force, until about 1872. The synonymy of the work is more extensive and elab- 

 orate and more reliable than any before presented ; the compilation was almost 

 entirely original, very few citations having been made at second-hand, and these 

 being indicated by quotation-marks. The general text consists of diagnoses or 

 descriptions of each species, with extended and elaborate criticisms, compari- 

 sons, and commentary, Of the general character of the specific determinations, 

 it may be said that the authors' tendency was to push specific discriminations 

 beyond a point now usual ; so that, though the work contains notably few purely 

 nominal species, it has many that have proven to be simply geographical races. 

 Tabular lists of the specimens examined, with localities where procured, col- 

 lector, date of collection, and many measurements, are given. The work includes 

 no biographical matter, nor is it illustrated. 



The appearance of so great a work, from the hands of a most methodical, 

 learned, and sagacious naturalist, aided by two of the leading ornithologists of 

 America, exerted an influence perhaps stronger and more widely felt than that 

 of any of its predecessors, Audubon's and Wilson's not excepted, and marked 

 an epoch in the hi&tory of American ornithology. The synonymy and specific 

 characters, original in this work, have been used again and again by subsequent 

 writers, with various modification and abridgment, and are in fact a large basis 

 of the technical portion of the subsequent History of North American Birds by 

 Baikd, Bheweb,. and Ridgway. Such a monument of original research is likely 

 to remain for an indefinite period a source of inspiration to lesser writers, while 

 its authority as a work of reference will always endure. 



Many of the novelties secured by the different surveying parties were pre- 

 viously described; the following are the genu, and spp. nn. of this work:— 

 Picoidea dorsalis, p. 100 ; Sphyrapicus, p. 101 ; 8. nuchalin, p. 103 ; Sylatomus, 

 p. 107 ; Colaptes hybriditSf p. 122; N^hocaetes, p. 142; Tyrannus couchii, p. 175; 

 £!mpidonax dijicilis, p. 198; E. wrigktii, p. 200 ; Turdus nlicicB, p. 217 ; Protono- 

 toWa, p. 239; Oporornis, -p. 246; Oroscoptes, p. 346; Oaiherpes^-p.Zr^G; Thriotkorus 

 belandieri "Couch", p. 362; Parus occidentalism -p. 391; Oarpodacuu califomicus, 

 p. 413; Plectrophanes melanomus, p. 436; Oentronyx, p. 440; Pooccetes, p. 447; 

 Melospiza, p. 476 ; M. Iieermanni, p. 478 ; M. gouldii, p. 479 ; Passerella schistacea, 

 p. 490; Cyanospiza, p. 500; Pipilo megalonyx, p. 515; Gorvus americanus var. 

 Jloridanus, p. 568; C. caurinits, p. 569; Cyanocitta woodhoiiseii, p. 585; Ortalida 

 McGallii, jj. Gil ; PediocaeteSf p. 625; Oreortyx, p. 642; G-ius fraterculus Casu., p. 

 656 ; Hydranassa, p. 660 ; H&rodias egretta var. califomica, p. 667 ; Ardea wurde- 

 manni, p. 6C9 ; Florida, p. 671 ; Aegialitis nivosa Cass., p. 096 ; Arquatella, p. 714 j 

 Tringa cooperi, p. 716 ; MiGropalaTna, p. 726 ; Heteroscelus, p. 734 j Anser frontaUSt 

 p, 762; Aribtonetta, p. 793; Bxicephala, p. 795; Pelionetta trcwbridgi% p. 806; 

 Podiceps occidentalis Lawr., p. 894 ; P. clarkii Lawr., p. 895. 



Many copies of this volume were reissued in J8G0 under an entirely different 

 title {Birds of America, etc., q. v.), acci-mpauied by a second vol. of pll.— these 

 platCH being all those which belonged to the various detached oi'iiitbological 

 reports of the several naturaliyts of the Pacific Kailroad Surveys, those of the 

 Mexican Boundary Survey, and many new ones, raising the total to 100. 



