82 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



The appended annotated list of the species known to occur 

 witliin a radius of 50 miles of the Museum is based on information 

 derived for the most part from four sources: (i) previously pub- 

 lished records : (2) the author's notes coverino- a period of twenty 

 years' intermittent observation, mainly at Englewood, N. J.; (3) 

 the observations of Mr. Waldron De\\"itt Miller at Plainfield. 

 N. J.; and (4) information received from Mr. William Dutcher. 

 For many years Mr. Dutcher has made a specialty of the study of 

 Long Island birds and has brought together a vast amount of 

 data concerning them. 



As a matter of local interest an asterisk (*) has been placed 

 before those species which have been observed in Central Park. 

 This list of Park birds is based on published records, the author's 

 observations and information received from Messrs. C. G. Abbott, 

 S. H. Chubb and B. S. Bowdish. 



The text cuts with which this Guide is illustrated, with the 

 exception of the Starling, are from Coues's "Key to North Ameri- 

 can Birds." For their use the Museum is indebted to Messrs. 

 Dana Estes and Company, the publishers of that work. The full 

 page plates are from photographs of Museum exhibits. 



The region embraced within our limits possesses natural ad- 

 vantages calculated to attract a great number of birds. Our sea- 

 coast, with its sandy beaches and shallow bays; our rivers, creeks 

 and ponds, with their surrounding grassy marshes; our wooded 

 hillsides and valleys; our rolling uplands and fertile meadows, 

 oflfer haunts suited to the wants of most birds. Again, our coast- 

 line and the Hudson River valley form natural highways of migra- 

 tion regularly followed by birds in their journevs to and from 

 their summer homes. 



The exceptional abundance of birds in this vicinitv, however, 

 is not due alone to the varied character of the country, or 

 to the fact that twice eacl: year streams of migrants pass along 

 our coasts and through our valleys. There are certain causes 

 which tend to limit the ranges of animals, chief among which is 

 temperature. A study of the ranges or habitats of animals and 

 plants shows that the boundaries of the areas inhabited by many 

 species coincide with one another and also to a greater or less 

 extent with lines of equal temperature. The ranges of these 

 species being thus governed by natural causes, they are 

 taken as indices of the limits of faunas or natural life-areas. The 



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