BIRDS OF INDIANA. 



PBEPAKATORY LETTER TO THE SECRETARY. 



Indianapolis, Ind., January 23, 1880. 

 Mr. W. H. Ragan: 



Dear Sir — In the letter of Mr. Sylvester Johnson, President of the Indiana 

 Horticultural Society, submitting the transactions and proceedings of the Sixteenth 

 Annual Session to the Governor of the State, occurs the following paragraph on 

 the relations of birds, trees and insects to each other and to the horticulturist : 



"An abundant supply of timber, especially of evergreens, furnishing, as it does, 

 the natural home and breeding places of many of our feathered friends, would of 

 itself greatly increase and encourage this source of relief to the horticulturist, 

 while many of our worst insect enemies have been driven, by the destruction of 

 their natural forest homes, to take refuge in our orchards. But the birds must be 

 encouraged and protected, while insects, as a rule, must be destroyed. They should 

 not, however, be slayed indiscriminately, as many of our best friends are amongst 

 the tiny creatures of the insect world, while there are a very few exceptions to the 

 general friendly character of the feathered tribes. These facts, -therefore, bring us 

 to a consideration of the importance of a knowledge of the kindred sciences of 

 ornithology and entomology, which it has been the aim of this Society at all times 

 to encourage and foster as of vital importance to the horticulturist, and to which 

 we would now call your attention as subjects worthy of legal attention." 



The above sets the case in its true light, and when requested to prepare a paper 

 on the birds of the State, to take the place of the somewhat rambling notes on 

 the collection of Indiana songsters that I exhibited at the Dublin meeting of the 

 Association, I thought it best to give this paper some substantial form, so that it 

 might, at least, serve as a basis for future work, and also a practical hand-book, a 

 key to the birds of the State, so arranged that any person of ordinary intelligence 

 may find the names and brief descriptions of the more common species. 



This view met with the hearty approval and encouragement of the President and 

 Secretary, and while the keys and descriptions of the higher groups and the brief 

 diognosis of the species given, render this part of the proceedings somewhat bulky, 

 it is not out of proportion to the subject discussed. Indiana has over three hun- 

 dred birds, either resident or transient. Of these, keys and specific descriptions 

 are supplied for nearly two-thirds. The diognosis of the species of swimming and 

 wading birds is not inserted, as these are not of such immediate interest to the 

 class in whose hands this report will fall. Lists of these groups are, however, ap- 

 pended. A future worker may record and describe them. Little has been said 



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