Author Description

Excerpt from Evolution of Colors of North American Land Birds The present paper has been written more with the hope of stimulating thought and inciting research in a new and as yet almost untrodden field of ornithological inquiry, than with the expectation of reaching definite results. The subject is as yet too new and difficult to be reduced to even the semblance of an exact science, and accordingly all the views here set forth are more or less provisional and tentative. I have constantly pro ceeded upon the assumption that a poor theory is better than no theory, provided it be not considered as final, since it affords an opening wedge for the further study of a subject. Accordingly many of the views here set forth are hardly to be considered as more than guesses, and it is expected that future study will serve to show their fallacy. If they lead to this further study, however, and to more exact and comprehensive work by others, I shall be glad to see them overturned and their places filled by more worthy hypotheses. In the preparation of the work I have received much valuable assistance, which I here take pleasure in ac knowledging. Much of the examination of specimens was done at the United States National Museum, the authorities of which kindly placed their collection of birds at my disposal. To Mr. Robert Ridgway I am ih debted for innumerable personal favors during my stay in Washington. His Manual of North American Birds has formed the systematic basis for this paper. Dr. L. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our editio