33 LOCAL mun—Lis'rs.

The water-birds of Long Island are treated by Mr. William Dutcher, of New York city, wlto has for years tnade our coast birds 21 subject of especial investigation. Sportsmen, lighthouse—keepers, and ornitholo- gists have all aided him in acquiring an unrivaled series of observa— tions upon the movements of waterfowl and bay birds.

Dr. A. K. Fisher, of the Division of Ut'nitholog'v in the U. S De- partment of Agriculture, has supplied the notes from Sing Sing, N. Y. This locality formed the field of his ornithological labors for fifteen years. Within the limits of the town of ()ssiniug Dr. Fisher has ob- served no less than two hundred and thirty-six species of birds. Prob— ably no area of similar extent in the United States has been more carefully studied or yielded better results.

Cambridge, Mass, is historic ground in the annals of Ornithology. From the time of Nuttall it has never lacked for earnest students of its bird-life. Nevertheless, no list, of Cambridge birds has ever ap- peared. It is with unusual pleasure, therefore, that 1 include annota- tions on the birds of this region by Mr. \Villiatn Brewster, who has made a lifelong study of New England birds, and particularly of those found in the vicinity of his home at Cambridge.*

The value of their contributions renders it evident that I am under deep obligations to these gentlemen, and I thank them most sincerely for their generous assistance.

Nests and Eggs—The brief descriptions of nests and eggs are based on the collections of the American Museum of Natural History, sup- plemented by the use of Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway’s History of North American Birds, Davie’s Nests and Eggs of North American Birds, Ridgway‘s Manual, and Captain Bendire’s Life Histories of North American Birds. In describing the eggs the color chart was used when possible; but. it was designed with particular reference to the plutnagcs of our birds, and is of less assistance in describing th-.-ir eggs. The measurements of eggs are mostly from series of measure- ments made by Mr. ll. B. Bailey, accompanying the Bailey collection in the American Museum, supplemented by reference to the works llttll- tioned above.

Bz'oy/I'apltiwa—After devoting separate paragraphs to the birl‘s general range, its manner of occurrence, comparative numbers, tines of migration at scvc 'al specific points. and its nest and eggs. the space remaining is given to a brief sketch of its haunts, notes, and disptsi- t.ion, with the particular object of aiding in its identification in the field.

* Strictly maritime birds whose occurrence within five miles of Cambridge is casual or accidental are, as a rule, excluded.