Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 483 



Bird Protection in the United States. — The November- 

 December number of ' Bird Lore ' contains the Annual 

 Report of the National Association of Audubon Societies 

 for 1912. This organization not only coordinates and 

 directs the work of the State Audubon Societies, which 

 deal with the problems of the protection of birds in the 

 individual States, suggesting legislation and endeavouring 

 to compel observance of the laws when made, but also 

 directly employs a number of wardens or guardians who 

 have charge of the numerous state and federal reserves 

 scattered chiefly along the eastern and southern coasts of 

 the United States. 



That the work is carried out on a large scale is evidenced 

 by the accounts, which show that over j€6000 has been 

 expended during the year on Warden service. Legislation, 

 and Educational efl'orts. 



It is a matter for congratulation that these efforts have 

 not been in vain, as can be seen from the various reports 

 here printed, which show that Egrets and other birds 

 formei'ly on the verge of extinction through the ravages of 

 plume-hunters and others, are now rapidly recovering their 

 numbers in reserves as well as in other colonies known to 

 exist in the southern States from Texas to Florida. 



Life-History of North American Birds. — A good many 

 years ago the late Major Charles E. Bendire planned a work 

 on the above subject in co-operation with the Smithsonian 

 Institution. After the publication of two volumes, in which 

 he dealt with the groups from the Gallinse to the Icteridae — 

 the birds numbered 289 to 513 of the old edition of the 

 A. O. U. Checklist — Major Bendire died leaving the work 

 incomplete, though what was published contains a mass of 

 most useful information not to be found elsewhere. 



Mr. A. C. Bent made arrangements with the Smithsonian 

 Institution in 1910 to complete Major Bendire's work, and 

 has been amassing information for the last twenty years for 



