INTRODUCTION. 
xm 
hard Stejneger, was most competent to recommend the many changes, 
etc., which were adopted and published by the American Ornithologists’ 
Union. 
Although the greater portion of the descriptions (specific characters) 
are original, haying been taken principally from specimens in the author’s 
collection, it has been necessary, in a number of instances, inconsequence 
of the lack of sufficient material, to quote from one or the other of the 
following-named authorities: “ Baird’s Birds of North America,” * * * * § Coues’ 
Key, f Ridgway’s Manual of North American Birds, J History of North 
American Birds,§ and the Water Birds of North America. || 
All quotations, however, have been carefully credited to the proper 
authorities. The present report is a brief summary of field observa¬ 
tions made by the writer, during the past ten or twelve years, in the 
State of Pennsylvania, with numerous notes from naturalists and collec¬ 
tors, in nearly every county in the commonwealth. 
In order that the descriptions of birds on the succeeding pages may 
be clearly understood, the figures on Plate 1, with the following ex¬ 
planations are given: 
1. Maxilla or upper mandible. 
2. Lower mandible. 
3. Forehead; also called front and frons. 
4. Iris. 
5. Upper part of throat including chin. 
6. Lower part of throat or foreneck: Jugulum. 
**-Baird's Birds of North America. | 3 2dSess1on SS ’ [ Senate - j E No. D< 78! j-I Reports | of | Explora¬ 
tions and Surveys, i to j ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad | from the | 
Mississippi River to Pacific Ocean. | Made under the direction | of the Secretary of War, in | 1853-6, | ac¬ 
cording to acts of Congress of March 3, 1853, May 31, 1854, and August 5. 1851 | — | Volume IX | — | Wash¬ 
ington : | Beverly Tucker, Printer | 1858. | Subtitled as follows : Explorations and Surveys for a railroad 
route from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. | War Department | = | Birds: | by Spencer F. Baird, 
| Assistant Secretary Smithsonian Institution. | With the co-operation of | John Cassin and George N. 
Lawrence | — | Washington, D. C, | 1858. pp. i-lvi, 1-1005. 
+Key ] to | North American Birds, | containing a concise^account of every species of living and fossil 
bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of 
Greenland and lower California. | with which are incorporated | General Ornithology. | An outline of the 
structure and classification of birds | and | Field Ornithology | a manual of collecting, preparing and pre¬ 
serving birds. | The third edition | exhibitingthe new nomenclature of the American Ornithologists’ Union ; 
and including descriptions of additional species, etc. | By Elliott Coues, A. M., M, D., Ph. D.. etc. | 
Profusely illustrated | (pp. i-x. 1-xxx. 1-895 | Boston (Mass.), Estes and Lauriat. | 1887. | [Price $7.50]. 
*A | manual | of | North American Birds. | by Robert Ridgway (Curator Department of Birds U. S. 
National Museum and Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.). i Illustrated by 464 outline drawings 
of the generic characters". | Philadelphia | J. B. Lippincott Company. | 1877. | [pp. i-xi, 1-631. Price $7.50, 
II. K. Coale. agent. Chicago. Illinois. 
§ A | History | of | North | American Birds | by | S. F. Baird. T. M. Brewer and R. Ridgway | Land 
Birds | illustrated by 64 plates and 593 wood cuts | Volume I [-Hi], [Vignette] | Boston | Little, Brown 
and Company | 1874. (Size 4to. pages about 1800. ) 
HMemoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. \ ols. xiiandxiii. The Water 
Birds of North America. By S. F. Baird, T. M. Brewer and It. Ridgway. Issued in continuation of the 
publications of the Geological Survey of California. J. D. Whitney, State Geologist, Boston. Little, 
Brown and Company. 1884. [Illustrated by numerous wood -cuts; pages 1104], 
