EXPLANATORY. 3 
sponsible, were adopted in Prof. Baird’s great work ;* for, 
sanctioned by the usage of such eminent authority, they have 
passed current, and are too closely ingrained in our nomen- 
elature to be soon eradicated. The writer feels at liberty 
to speak plainly, for his own skirts are not clear. Secondly, 
not a few species, new to North America, or to science, or 
both, have of late years been ascertained to inhabit this country. 
The third and principal variance between the present Curck 
List and its predecessor results from a large reduction of the 
number of admitted species. Part of them are excluded sim- 
ply because extralimital ; but most because they are considered 
untenable as species. In the present state of our knowledge, 
and under a system of nomenclature that is proven inadequate 
and may before long become obsolete, recognition of numerous 
‘¢ Varieties ”— resultant modifications of species by physical 
conditions of environment —is imperative ; and what are these 
varieties but the rills that flow into and help to swell the mighty 
stream of descent with modification? 
The Instructions for Collecting and Taxidermy, herewith 
offered, are drawn almost entirely from the writer’s experience, 
acquired during several years he has spent, with little interrup- 
tion, in the study of our birds. He has collected over a wide 
area from Labrador to California, in northwestern territories, 
and in several southern states; enjoying opportunities for 
field investigations that no one with the least taste or aptitude 
for the pursuit could fail to profit by. In the matter of col- 
lecting, therefore, he may reasonably venture to speak with 
confidence. Since, furthermore, a taxidermal process that has 
been repeated several thousand times with fair results is by 
this simple circumstance proven satisfactory, he feels no diffi- 
*“Birds of North America” by Baird, Cassin and Lawrence. 
