viii PREFACE. 



well as in different seasons ; but the months in which each 

 species is most commonly seen are given. For example, 

 the season for the Tree Swallow is given as April to Septem- 

 ber ; but no mention is made of the fact that it sometimes 

 appears in small numbers in March ; neither is it stated that 

 this bird has been seen in flocks in southeastern Massachu- 

 setts in late October and even in November, for such occur- 

 rences are unusual. It may be taken for granted that most 

 of the insect-eating birds that arrive in March or April come 

 in the latter part of those months, while most of those that 

 depart for the south in September or October leave in the 

 earlier weeks of their respective months. 



Our attempts to represent the songs of birds in printed 

 syllables are not often of much assistance to the beginner, 

 for they lack the variation, quality, and expression of bird 

 songs, and birds do not sing in syllables. Also, the imagi- 

 nation of the writer often greatly affects these syllabic rendi- 

 tions, as may be seen by comparing the various sentences 

 attributed by different people to the "White-throated Sparrow. 

 Nevertheless, some such imitations of bird songs which are 

 now accepted and are quite generally considered helpful are 

 given in this report ; in other cases the author's own inter- 

 pretations of well-marked bird notes are given. 



The line cuts of birds, nesting boxes, appliances, etc., are 

 mainly reproductions of the author's pen and ink sketches 

 and drawings. The attitudes have been caught by sketch- 

 ing the living birds afield ; but as most of the drawings were 

 necessarily made in winter, the measurements and the details 

 of markings were taken mainly from bird skins. While this 

 method does not give so good results as does the use of the 

 dead bird, it obviates the necessity of killing birds for the pur- 

 pose. The sketches for Figs. 19, 22, 23, and 25 were sug- 

 gested by half-tone plates in American Ornithology. Figs. 

 1, 27, 53, 71, 73, 79, 109, 113-117, 142, and 143 were made 

 from pen drawings by Lewis E. Forbush. The wood-cuts 

 of insects were taken chiefly from Harris's Insects Injurious 

 to Vegetation, Flint's Manual of Agriculture, and various 

 papers published by Dr. A. S. Packard while serving as ento- 

 mologist to the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture. 



