VoI "wS XVI ] Notes and News - 155 



fourteen years, and later as principal of the Dickinson County High School, 

 and field agent of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. 



In 1904 he received an appointment in the U. S. Department of Agricul- 

 ture and has since devoted his attention mainly to investigations on 

 mammals of economic importance. He published extensively on economic 

 mammalogy and was the author of twenty or more Farmers' bulletins and 

 a number of other reports and special papers. 



During his residence in Kansas he published about thirty-five papers and 

 short notes on birds and added two species to the state fist, the Purple 

 Gallinule in 1893 and the Roseate Spoonbill in 1900. His most important 

 ornithological contributions were his ' List of Birds in the Goss Collection ' 

 and his 'Review of Kansas Ornithology.' The latter paper contained a 

 unique feature in the 'Historical List' showing the date when each species 

 was first recorded from the state. 



Prof. Lantz was widely known in scientific circles in Kansas and in 

 Washington. He was a life member of the Kansas State Horticultural 

 Society, the Kansas Academy of Science, and served as secretary and 

 president of the Academy of Science. He was a member of the Biological 

 Society of Washington and for five years filled the office of recording 

 secretary. When the ' Ten Year Index of The Auk' was in course of 

 preparation he served on the committee and took an active part in the work. 



He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Clara Deen Lantz, and two daughters. 

 Mrs. Frank S. Evans of Baltimore, Md., and Mrs. J. N. Simmons of Victor, 

 Colo.— T. S. P. 



Check Lists. — In view of the invitation extended by the B. O. U. 

 to the A. O. U. to cooperate in the preparation of a series of check lists of 

 the birds of the principal zoological regions of the world ( see 'The Auk,' 

 Oct. 1918, p. 509), it is interesting to recall what has already been done 

 by the A. O. U., the B. O. XL, and the R. A. O. U. and some of their 

 members in the publication of check lists. 



The A. O. U. has published an official 'Check-List of North American 

 Birds' including the species and subspecies which occur north of the Gulf of 

 Mexico and the Rio Grande and also on the peninsula of Lower California. 

 The first edition appeared in 1886 and two revised editions have since 

 been issued, one in 1895 and the last in 1910. Before the organization of 

 the A. O. U. several check lists of North American birds were published 

 by individual authors who later became members of the Union and took 

 part in the preparation of its first Check-List. Of these the first was 

 published by Baird in 1858, the second by Coues in 1873 with an elaborately 

 annotated revised edition in 1882, and the third by Ridgway in 1881. The 

 check lists of Baird and Ridgway were issued by the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution and National Museum and those of Coues were private publications. 



The official check list of the British Ornithologists' Union has been 

 limited to two editions of the 'List of British Birds,' one of which appeared 



