n "-t'-y- \-^\" 'v ?> '.fr -^■: ^;.u^-: \- \'^>- ':■■■-' r-:^\,:<, ^i.^^ , ^ FORTHE PEOPLE FOR EDVCATION FOR SCIENCE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY • •^■^ 7:^: I BY GIFT OF ALBERT S. BICKMORE AND CHARLOTTE B. BICKMORE 7--'- V' •« .J i"'Z ■<-,■ %Z. .■'''■P"'|'' A,^ R.WShufeldt.pmx Ackertnann&Co: Lith^ Boston ANATOMY OF PIGILON. C o lie's Kev NAB ircls . KEY TO Si t o %^ ^ yy 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 PRESERVING BIRDS. Cfje iFourt]) lEliition, EXHIBITING THE NEW NOMENCLATURE OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION, AND INCLUDING DESCRIPTIONS OF ADDITIONAL SPECIES, ETC. By ELLIOTT COUES, A.M., M.D., Ph.D., Late Captain and Assistant Surgeon U. S. Army and Secretary U. S. Geological Survey ; Vice-President of the American Ornithologists' Union, and Chairman of the Committee on the Classification and Nomenclature of North American Birds ; Foreign Member of the British Ornithologists' Union : Corresponding Member of the Zoological Society of London : Men\ber of the National Academy of Sciences, of the Faculty of the National Medical College, of the Philosophical and Biological Societies of Washington, of the General Council of the Theosophical Society of India, etc. PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. BOSTON: ESTES AND LAURIAT, i^- . \ 1890. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by F. W. PUTxNAM AND ELLIOTT COUES, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by F. W. Putnam and Elliott Coues, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. Copyright, 1882, 1884, and 1887, By Estes and Lauriat. University Press: John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD, Nestor of American Ornithologists, bearing to others the torch received from him in earlier days, 5s DetJicateU. CONTENTS. PAGK Title . i Dedication ■> . . iii Contents v Historical Preface » xi PART I. FIELD ORNITHOLOGY. § i. Inii)leiiieiits for collecting, and their use 1 ^ 2. Dogs 9 ■§ 3. Various suggestions and directions for field-work 9 ^ 4. Hygiene of coUectorship , 19 § 5. Registration aud labelling 21 § 6. Instruments, materials, and fixtures for preparing birdskius 25 § 7. How to make a birdskiu 2S § 8. Miscellaneous particulars 45 § 9. Collection of nests and eggs 50 §10. Care of a collection 54, PART II. GENERAL ORNITHOLOGY. 1. Definition of birds 59 2. Principles and practice of classification 65 3. Definitions and descriptions of the exterior parts of birds 82 a. Of the feathers, or plumage 82 d. The topography of birds 91 1. Regions of the body 94 2. Of the members ; their ])arts and organs 100 i. The bill 100 ii. The wings lOfi iii. The tail 114 iv. Tlie feet 118 vi CONTENTS. PAGE § 4. An introduction to the Anatomy of birds 138 a. Osteology : the osseous system, or skeleton 134- 1. The spinal column 137 2. The thorax : ribs and sternum 142 3. The pectoral arch 145 4. The pelvic arch 147 5. The skull 141) 6. Neurology : the nervous system ; organs of special senses 174 c. Myology : the muscular system 11)2 d. Angeiology: the vascular or circulatory systems 195 c. Pneumatology : the respiratory system 19D /. Splanchnology : the digestive system 209 y. Oology : the urogenital system 215 § 5. Directions for using the artificial keys 227 Artifici.\l Key to the Orders and Suborders 230 Artificial Key to tue Families .231 Tabular View of the Groups higher than Genera 234 PART III. SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. I. Order PASSERES : Insessores, or Perchers Proper 238 1. Suborder PASSERES ACROMYODI, or OSCINES : Singing Birds .... 240 1. Family Turdid.e : Thrushes, etc. . 240 1. Subfamily Turdina : Typical Thrushes 243 2. Subfamily Mimince : Mocking Thrushes 248 8. Subfamily Cinclmts : Dippers 254 4. '^VihiamW^ Saxicolina : Stone-chats and Blue-birds 256 5. ^whi-AwnX-^ Regulince : Kinglets and Wood-wreus i259 (3. ^xMdimA-^ Polioptilince : Gnat-catchers 260 2. Family Cham^id^ : Wren-tits 262 S. Family Pabid.e : Titmice, or Chickadees 263 7. Subfamily Ptfrz«