502 Recenih/ published Ornithological Works. [Ibis, 



birds in the best sense of the phrase, has visited their 

 breeding-haunts, studied their habits, and in short made 

 himself thoroughly acquainted with their life-histories. 

 We are sure that he must have experienced a feeling of 

 regret at not being able, in the limited space at his disposal, 

 to include the fuller details which filled his note-books to 

 overflowing. The work is illustrated by 242 coloured plates, 

 reduced from those of Lord Lilford, and with 65 photo- 

 graphic reproductions after Kearton, Miss Turner, and 

 others. There are also plates of eggs after Ilewitson, 

 which are hardly so successful as the other figures. 



The book begins with a useful Introduction, including a 

 good essay on Bird Protection, and then goes on to well- 

 written accounts of the various species. The only addition 

 that we could desire is a brief sketch of the characters of 

 each Family, such as is given under the Orders. 



INIr. Coward's work is one of Frederick Warne's " Way- 

 side and Woodland Series. '^ 



Harris on the Birds of Kansas City. 



[Birds of the Kansas City Reg-ion. ]\v Ilairy Harris. Trans. Arad. 

 Sci. St. Louis, xxiii. 1919, pp. 213-371.] 



Kansas City, though on the liorder of the State of the 

 same name, is in INJissouri, and is situated on the INIissouri 

 river at its junction with the Kaw. The chief chai'ac- 

 teristics of its bird-life arc due to its position on the big 

 river, which is the great higiiway of migration north and 

 south. 



Many of the birds formerly abundant in this region, and 

 noted by the early travellers, have now become very scarce 

 or have disappeared, such as the Wild Turkey, the Prairie 

 Chicken, and the larger Birds of Prey ; while the Passenger- 

 Pigeon and the Carolina Paroquet are undoubtedly extinct. 

 On the other hand, the clearing oL' the forest and cultivation 

 of the land has resulted in an increase of such birds as the 

 Dickcissel {Spiza americana) and the Blue Bird (Sialia 

 sialis). 



Mr. Harris has compiled a list of 343 birds found in this 

 region. Of these 117 are breeding-birds. Tlie status of 



