No. 20.] THE BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT. 9 



Thirty-four years later Dr. C. Hart Merriam prepared a list 

 with copious and valuable annotations, which was published in 

 the Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Science 

 in 1877.^ This work is a model of its kind, but has been long 

 out of print. Dr. Merriam was able to notice 291 species with 

 good claims to inclusion in our avifauna; and of these several 

 have not been taken since in our state. 



Thirty-four years have again passed, during which enormous 

 strides have been taken in the knowledge of the birds of our 

 entire country. We wish we could say the knowledge of Con- 

 necticut ornithology had kept pace. But it has not. The birds of 

 certain localities near the larger cities are well known, but there 

 are still large districts — in fact the greater portion — of the state 

 from which no records have reached us. Ornithologists in Con- 

 necticut are far too few, and many of them have little time to 

 devote to this study; but all have resf>onded most generously to 

 our appeal for assistance, as the following pages will show. This 

 list is based primarily on the notes and collections of Mr. Sage 

 and Dr. Bishop, obtained through field work in Connecticut dur- 

 ing the past 45 and 30 years respectively. The migration dates 

 for Portland and New Haven, given without quotation of author- 

 ity, are taken from their field notes, as are all other statements 

 and dates for which the name of the authority is not cited. 

 Practically all the other records from the western portion of the 

 state and from New London were given to Dr. Bishop, either in 

 the form of specimens, by notes, or by word of mouth, by the 

 gentlemen to whom they are accredited; and he is entirely re- 

 sponsible for the chapter on Economic Ornithology. For the 

 citation of most of the other published and unpublished records 

 Mr. Sage is to be credited, while Mr. Bliss has found some in 

 ornithological literature. To Mr. Bliss has fallen the task of tabu- 

 lating Mr. Sage's records of the past 45 years, which press of 

 other duties prevented Mr. Sage doing himself, searching ornitho- 

 logical works for records, preparing much of the bibliography, 

 as well as the index, etc., and combining all the notes into as 

 harmonious a whole as is possible in a work of this character. 



For cordial cooperation and assistance our hearty thanks are 

 due to Prof. A. E. Verrill, Dr. Leonard C. Sanford, Rev. Her- 



1 Review of the Birds of Connecticut with Remarks on their Habits, by C. 

 Hart Merriam. Trans. Conn. Acad., vol. iv, pp. 1-150, July, 1877. 



