1875.] 437 [Allen. 



My principal, indeed my only important, criticism of this list is that 

 it retains quite a number of species, which, in my judgment, have no 

 claim to be classed as New England birds, whose appearance here is 

 both improbable in itself and rests upon no reliable testimony. I 

 have, besides the list of birds known to have been taken in New Eng- 

 land, given a supplementary list of about thirty species which have 

 been given as New England birds, but which, so far as I know, have 

 no claim to be retained. It has been my sole aim to furnish a list that 

 shall be reliable so far as it goes. I may have omitted some that are 

 entitled to a place. Be it so; I had rather omit ten that may be 

 found, than retain one that never has been, for the one mistake is 

 easily rectified, the other is most difficult. 



Some of these corrections I am the more anxious to make because 

 I have been made, to appear as if responsible for the mistake in 

 the beginning. For instance, somewhere about 1838 I wrote to 

 Mr. Audubon that Dr. Cabot had procured specimens of the Nash- 

 ville Warbler, then regarded a rare bird, and that Dr. James Tru- 

 deau had found Swainson's Warbler breeding in Louisiana. Probably 

 writing without having carefully re-examined my letter, Mr. Audubon 

 cites me as authority for the capture of Swainson's Warbler in Massa- 

 chusetts; and although I have, time after time, sought to set this 

 matter right, every list published during the past thirty-five years 

 persistently repeats this mistake, and cites Dr. Brewer as authority, 

 it is high time this error is set right. Four or five birds stand thus 

 wrongfully credited to New England, and I am made their voucher. 

 How far I am really responsible for this diffusion of error it is now 

 Impossible to say, but I wish at least to do my best to correct what I 

 deem to be erroneous. 



There is also another class of oceanic birds, whose presence in 

 New England seems to have been always taken for granted, and 

 their names have been given in every list without a particle of 

 recorded evidence. Among these are the Fulmar Petrel, the Least 

 Petrel, the Manx Shearwater, etc. — all European forms and, so far 

 as I know, unknown to our shores. I challenge their right to be 

 counted as New England birds until that claim can be confirmed 

 by something more than guess-work. 



Accidental visitants, birds very local in their distribution in N. E. 

 and these only known to have occurred, each in single instances are 

 marked with an asterisk prefixed to their number. 



