A PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF THE BIRDS OF NEBRASKA WITH SYNOPSES

In 1896, Prof. Bruner published his list entitled Some Notes on Nebraska Birds. As a working basis for the study of the ornithology of the state it has proven invaluable and it has also been greatly in demand by people not ornithologists, who desired to know something about our birds. That edition was exhausted some time ago and its author has been frequently urged to publish another. However, the organization of the Nebraska Ornithologists\u27 Union and the development of ornithology in the University has led to such a rapid increase in our knowledge in the past five years that it seemed that any publication would soon become out of date, and so no one ventured to undertake the task. It is under these conditions that the opportunity has been offered, through the kindness of Ex-Governor Furnas, Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, and an enthusiastic member of the Union, to prepare something on the birds of the state. It seemed too good an opportunity to be lost, and yet, under the circumstances, the authors of this contribution feel that it can only be considered, as its title states, as a preliminary review. It should be understood, nevertheless, preliminary in one sense as it is, that it has been prepared with the greatest care, and is believed to represent exactly the state of our knowledge at the present, day. Every species has been carefully considered, the specimens available examined, its occurrence in surrounding states studied, the records in Bruner\u27s list thoroughly canvassed, as well as all data which have accumulated since, and the whole reduced to such statements as indicate clearly the limits of our knowledge in regard to the form under consideration. All specimens about which there could be any doubt were sent to authorities east for exact determination. Those species that have been\u27 previously reported from Nebraska but the right of which to a place in our fauna is questioned or denied have been introduced, but in brackets. There have also been added under the phrase extralimital those species which may possibly be found in the state in the future. 125 pages. Includes Index. Also includes BIRDS IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE by Lawrence Bruner