PREFACE. ix 
system of classification now generally used is more 
clearly stated in Ridgway’s “Manual of North Amer- 
ican Birds.” But the most complete work at present 
obtainable, and one which every student should have at 
hand, is “The History of North American Birds,” by 
Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway. With that work and the 
“A. O. U. Check-List” to guide him, the student will 
be equipped for thorough study. 
It only remains for me to thank many friends who 
have aided me. To Mr. William Brewster and Mr. 
Charles F. Batchelder, the president and the treasurer 
of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, I am particularly 
indebted for kind advice and assistance. Nor must I 
forget to mention the name of my fellow-worker, Ernest 
E. Thompson, of Toronto. A large number of the 
illustrations are from drawings made especially for this 
work by Mr. Thompson. 
M. C. 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 
September, 1891. 
