V0l i8^ VI ] Recent Literature. 365 



pared paper consists of two parts, — I, 'The Bibliography of Kansas 

 Ornithology' (pp. 224-244); II, 'An Historical List of Kansas Birds' 

 (pp. 244-276). The first gives an annotated chronological list of books 

 and papers containing references to the birds of Kansas, and includes 

 also the titles of all papers on ornithology by Kansas authors, whether 

 or not relating to Kansas birds. The list begins with the report of 

 Pike's Expedition, published in 1810, and includes about two hundred 

 titles, annotated to show their bearing upon Kansas ornithology, speci- 

 fying also in each case the additions made to the list of Kansas birds. 

 At the close a 'Recapitulation' indicates, in chronological order, the 

 date and number of species added by the different authors. 



Part II consists of a concisely and judiciously annotated systematic 

 list of the birds of Kansas, numbering 351 species. In addition to a 

 statement as to the character of the presence of each species in Kansas, 

 there are historical notes, giving the date of the first record of the species 

 for the State, and the authority therefor. As regards accuracy and com- 

 pleteness, this is doubtless one of the most carefully prepared State lists 

 that has yet appeared, and has the additional feature of being also his- 

 torical. It is fairly free from typographical errors, but is worthy of a 

 better typographical setting, the technical names being printed in the 

 same uniform type as the text, not only in the 'List' itself, but in the 

 ' Bibliography,' which latter is also devoid of the special bibliographical 

 marks commonly employed to designate the makeup of title pages, etc. 

 But this, we are informed, is not the fault of the author, whose wish, as 

 manifested in the preparation of the copy, was not only disregarded, but 

 he was not even permitted by the State printer to revise the proof 

 sheets! That so few errors have crept in is a sufficient guarantee that 

 Prof. Lantz must have given the printers exceptionally well prepared 

 copy, and indicates that the care and exhaustive research shown in the 

 bibliographical and historical phases of the paper extended to the clerical 

 details of composition. — J. A. A. 



The Goss Collection of Mexican and Central American Birds. — As 

 is well known, it was the habit of the late Col. N. S. Goss, during the 

 later years of his life, to spend the winter season in some part of tropical 

 North America. His first trip was to Guatemala in 1SS2, and his last, in 

 1S89, to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. While he published very few of his 

 observations, it was, we are told, "his ambition to have his collection 

 contain representatives of every species of North American bird." The 

 present paper, 1 compiled by Prof. Lantz, contains a list of his collections, 



1 A List of Birds collected by Col. N. S. Goss in Mexico and Central 

 America. From the Collector's Notes; compiled by D. E. Lantz, Man- 

 hattan. Read before the Academy October 27, 1897. Trans. Kansas Acad- 

 emy of Science, 1S96-1897, pp. 218-224. July, 1899. 



