The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Synopsis of the Birds of North America, by John James Audubon

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

Author: John James Audubon

Release Date: May 28, 2013 [eBook #42832]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SYNOPSIS OF THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA***

E-text prepared by Sharon Joiner, Thierry Alberto, Tom Cosmas,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
(http://www.pgdp.net)
from page images scanned by the
Google Books Library Project
(http://books.google.com)
and generously made available by the
HathiTrust Digital Library
(http://www.hathitrust.org/digital_library)

SYNOPSIS OF THE BIRDS

OF

NORTH AMERICA.

A

SYNOPSIS OF THE BIRDS

OF

NORTH AMERICA.

BY

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON, F.R.SS. L. & E.

MEMBER OF VARIOUS SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATIONS IN
EUROPE AND AMERICA.

EDINBURGH:

ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK, EDINBURGH;

LONGMAN, REES, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMAN,

LONDON.


MDCCCXXXIX.

PRINTED BY NEILL AND CO. OLD FISHMARKET EDINBURGH.

PREFACE.

I have been induced to present this Volume to the Public by two considerations. The figures and descriptions contained in the works entitled “The Birds of America,” and “Ornithological Biography, or an Account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States,” having been issued in the miscellaneous manner which was thought best adapted to the occasion, or which was rendered necessary by circumstances, seemed to require a systematic index, in which the nomenclature should be corrected, and the species arranged agreeably to my present views. This Synopsis, then, will afford a methodical catalogue of all the species hitherto discovered in the vast regions, extending from the northern confines of Mexico to the Polar Seas, and which have been described, and, with few exceptions, depicted in the works above named. Another important object has been to present an arrangement of these birds, so characterized, that a person desirous of studying them, might, without much difficulty, be enabled to discover their names, and trace some of the most important features in their organization.

The species are disposed into genera and families; and, although the location of the groups is not such as, in all respects, to satisfy me, the arrangement will, I trust, be found in some degree useful. It will be seen that, although I have adopted many of the modern groups, I have not sectioned our birds on so minutely divided a scale as that employed by some recent writers. Besides the characters of the Families, Genera, and Species, which are given with considerable detail, I have presented a short account of the Geographical Distribution of the species, and references to the principal authors by whom they have been described. I am confident that these notices will suffice to enable the student to determine with certainty any species that may come under his consideration, and that the information respecting its habits, which he will find in the works referred to, will afford him at least sufficient knowledge to form a basis for the more extended observation which he may contemplate. To the name of the genus I have appended that of the author by whom it has been instituted; and with the specific names I have dealt in the same manner, giving as authorities the individuals who first employed them, although they may have referred them to different genera. It is probable that many errors have been made in this department; but I shall be happy to see them corrected, as my wish is to do justice to all.

On this occasion I have again to acknowledge the benefit derived from the aid of my friend Mr Macgillivray, whose general knowledge of ornithology, and perfect candour, have rendered his advice peculiarly valuable.

J. J. AUDUBON.

Edinburgh, 1st July 1839.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.