Revised to Date, and entirely Rewritten, under Direction of the Author, WITH A DICTIONARY OF THE ETYMOLOGY, ORTHOGRAPHY, AND ORTHOEPY OF THE SCIENTIFIC NAMES, THE CONCORDANCE OF PREVIOUS LISTS, AND A CATALOGUE OF HIS INTRODUCTION. IN 1873, shortly after the publication of the author's "Key to North American Birds," appeared the original edition of this "Check List," which was almost immediately reissued in connection with the same writer's "Field Ornithology," in 1874. That list reflected the classification and nomenclature of the "Key" with much exactitude, although it included, in an Appendix, a few species additional to those described in the "Key," and made some slight changes in the names. Excepting some little comment in foot-notes and in the Appendix, the original "Check List" was a bare catalogue of scientific and vernacular names, printed in thick type on one side of the paper. Meanwhile, the science of Ornithology has progressed, and our knowledge of North American birds has increased, both in extent and in precision, until the original list, faithful as it was at the time, fails now to answer the purpose of adequately reflecting the degree of perfection to which the subject has been brought. A new edition has therefore become necessary. The list has been revised with the utmost care. The gratifying degree of accuracy with which it represented our knowledge of 1873 is exhibited in the fact, that it is found necessary to remove no more than ten names. On the other hand, the progress of investigation has resulted in adding one hundred and twenty names to the list, and in showing the necessity or expediency of making many changes in nomenclature. The exact analysis of the differences between the two lists is given beyond. In revising the list for the main purpose of determining the ornithological status of every North American bird, the most scrupulous attention has been paid to the matter of nomenclature, not only as a part of scientific classification, determining the technical relations of genera, species, and varieties to each other, but also as involved in writing and speaking the names of birds correctly. The more closely this matter was scrutinized, the more evidences of inconsistency, negligence, |