ments of students, amateurs and teachers. No work of this character, professing 

 to <e«o7j. ornitliology to the uninitiated, and susceptible of use as a. text-hook 'in 

 educational institutions, has hitherto appeared. Those with a taste for this study, 

 who have been deterred fi'om its pursuit by the difDculty of mastering the techni- 

 calities in the absence of a suitable guide, will find the way made perfectly clear 

 to them."— rfte OoUen Age, Sept. 7,<1872. * 



" Dr. Ooues has written an admirable, book on North American 'Biv As."— Balti- 

 more Biilletir),, March 8^ 1873. 



" No expense has been spared in the preparation of this volume. The woodtjuts 

 are so well executed they would easily pass for something better. The index is 

 complete; so is the glossary:"^- C/efcffl^ro Times; 



"The descriptions are exceedingly complete and. minute; the large number of 

 illustrations serve to make the text more clearly understood, and the volume is a 

 very valuable contribution to ornithology."— .Bos«oB,/b«r«a!, Jan. 28, 1873. 



" The book has "been carefully prepared and contains a vast amonnt of informa- 

 tion. * * * It is a book,^ of inestimabla value to the naturalist, and should be 

 found in the library of every such person throughout the land.."— Boston Ti-aveller. 



" A more elegant scientific publication than the ' Key to North American Birds.' 

 jiist issued by this house, is not to be found. This work, of which Elliott Coues, 

 M. D., is the author, forma a v^ry, valuable and exhaustive treatise , upon the birds 

 of the continent north of Mexico. The large number of plates and of woodcuts, 

 renders it especially interesting, and the style of. its publication, is almost sump- 

 tuous."— Boston Post. 



"Some of our distinguished men of science seem to have placed their collections 

 and their suggestions at the service of Mr. Coues, but he is fundamentally an 

 original explorer. Nobody can look over the beautiful book without feeling that 

 the author has added to ornithology as well as furnished its North American ' Key.' 

 We wish we knew enough abont the subject to convict him of a few mistakes. 

 Having, however, great respect for specialists, we never venture to intrude an 

 opinion we have not earned the right to give by special stndy. It is a modest ab- 

 dication of an insolent tyranny, but we make it with satisfaction. It would be 

 cruel, lierhaps, to disturb the u.?eful superstition that notices of books are omnis- 

 cient and infallible. Still, we reluctamtly confess that Mr. Cou^ is ahead of us in 

 his particular branch of knowledge, and we have submitted to the intolerable 

 ignominy of learning something fi-om him with a keen sense of pleasure. Indeed 

 this "Key to North American Birds" is a volume which will attract all naturalists 

 for its accuracy of description and its' contributions to the work of intelligent 

 classification."— Boe^OK Globe. 



" And the high commendation it has received, from competent authorities in this 

 country and England, is even more than justified by the accuracy of description, 

 the fulness of detail, the convenience of classification, and the admirable arrange- 

 ment of the volume. * » * Dr. Cducs, still a young man, and connected with 

 the United States Army, has spent a, long time in obtaining the materials for his 

 work; but in it Indnstry is subordinate to tact, and art to genius. He is a born 

 naturalist. He is a close and flue observer of all natural phenomena, and were 

 he wrecked on a rook in mid ocean he would commence scientific researches be- 

 fore his clothes were dry. * * * And hjs writes as well- as he observes, in a 

 clear, accurate style, colorless in itself, but transmitting the native hues of the 

 objects he describes. ■ And these qualities appear in ithe work, before us. to en- 

 hance its value. * * ♦ We have no hand-book of similar character, and non« 

 that occupies the place it completely fill."."- Golden Age, July 5, 1873. . , 



