174 Recently published Ornithological Works. [Ibis, 
of which he describes. As lead is known to be an aborti- 
facient in the females of mammals, it is probably also so in 
birds, and some experiments confirming* this have shown that 
lead has a powerful effect on the virility of domestic fowls. 
No suggestions for the alleviation of this trouble is pro¬ 
posed by Mr. Wetmore at the present time, but the cause 
and symptoms of the poisoning are described in order to 
bring it under wider notice, in the hope that some method 
may be discovered in the future of preventing this malady. 
Wood on the eye of the Burrowing Oivl. 
[The eyes of the Burrowing Owl [Speotyto cunicularict hypogcea ], witli 
special reference to the fundus oculi. By Casey A. Wood, M.D. Extr. 
from 1 Contributions to Medical and Biological research,’ dedicated to 
Sir William Osier, in honour of his seventieth birthday, July 12, 1919, 
by his pupils and co-workers. Pp. 818-823 ; 1 col. pl.'J 
Th is short paper by Dr. Wood, who has made the special 
study of the avian eye (see 4 Ibis/ 1920, p. 306), shows that 
the structure of that organ of the Burrowing Owl is very 
distinctly adapted to nocturnal vision, and that this is 
correlated with its 1 habits which are distinctly nocturnal, 
though it is sometimes seen in daytime. 
The paper is illustrated with a beautiful coloured plate, 
showing the appearance of the eye when viewed with the 
ophthalmoscope. This was prepared from a drawing made 
by Mr. A. W. Plead in the Zoological Gardens in London. 
As the paper appears in a special volume of memoirs 
dedicated to Sir Wm. Osier, it is not likely to be seen bv 
many ornithologists, and for this reason we have drawn 
special attention to it. 
Aquila. 
[Aquila: Periodical of Ornithology. Vols. xxi.-xxv. for the years 
1914-1918. Budapest.] 
The annual volumes of 4 Aquila,’ the official journal of 
the central government office for ornithological studies in 
Plungary for the years of the war, have recently reached us, 
and the troublous times do not appear to have diminished 
