PREFACE TO FIFTH EDITION. 



The text of the present edition consists of the characteristic habits of North 

 American birds, with particular reference to their nesting habits and eggs. Many 

 of these will be found to be almost complete life histories of the species. 



The geographical limits of the North American avifauna at the present time 

 includes all the territory north of the Southern United States boundary, including 

 Greenland and the peninsula of Lower California, with the islands naturally be- 

 longing thereto. The second edition of the A. O. U. Check-List, 1895, is the classifi- 

 cation which I have followed, including the new species and subspecies enumerated 

 in the Eighth Supplement. 



All stragglers or accidental visitors have their respective numbers to the left in 

 brackets. For an explanation of the authority of names, CSinon L. (page 56) of the 

 A. O. U. Code may be quoted: "The authority for a specific or subspecific name is 

 the first describer of the species or subspecies. When the first describer of the 

 species or subspecies is not also the authority, it is to be enclosed in parenthesis; 

 e. g., Turdus migratorius lb., or Merula migratoria (L)." 



The species and subspecies which have been interpolated in this edition are in- 

 dicated by the double asterisk (* *). 



No attempt has been made to describe the birds. For >an analytical description 

 of these the reader is referred to such works as "Key to North American Birds,"* by 

 Dr. Elliott Coues, or "Manual of North American Birds,"t by Robert Ridgway. 



While I am indebted to books and periodical Ifterature for a considerable amount 

 of information gleaned from them, my acknowledgments are especially due a large 

 number of active field ornithologists and oologists who have kindly placed at my 

 disposal their notes containing original observations in the field on the nesting and 

 eggs of various birds, many of these being the latest discoveries. Others have 

 furnished descriptions of nests and eggs from specimens in their private collections 

 which, in many cases, were otherwise scarcely obtainable, thus bringing the work 

 down to date as nearly as possible. 



The illustrations are introduced simply to give the beginner an idea of ^he 

 characteristic forms, etc., of the birds, together, often, with their environments. 



OLIVER DAVIE. 



Columbus, Ohio, January Jf, .1898. 



* Published by Bstes & Lauriat, Boston. 



t Published by J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia. 



