February, 1921.] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 



39 



surd of them replaced by others of more 

 popular appeal. Names well established in 

 popular usage need not be disturbed, but 

 it does not seem likely that (1) calling the 

 first described subspecies of the Palm War- 

 bler, the Interior Palm Warbler; (2) 

 shortening Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker 

 to Arctic Woodpecker; (3) changing Arc- 

 tic To-whee to Northern Towhee; (4) Brun- 

 nich's Murre to Thick-billed Murre; (5) 

 and Chickadee to Black-capped Chickadee 

 would arouse any g^eneral protest from the 

 public. 



It is difficult to understand Mr. Stone's 

 attitude in regard to the prefix American 

 to Robin, Sparrow Hawk, Redstart and 

 others. Of course to those wlio know and 

 love him Plauesficus migratorius Avill al- 

 ways be regarded as the robin in spite of 

 check lists and committees to the contrary, 

 but colloquial use need not debar the crea- 

 tion of a more formal title for mixed au- 

 diences. If we speak of a certain well- 

 known ornithologist in public or where 

 confusion of identity might arise we are 

 careful to use his full formal name, e.g. 

 Dr. Witmer Stone, and on proper occasion 

 may add a string of letters in due form. 

 In general private discussion, I fear that 

 the single name "Stone" is often used, 

 whilst among his intimates I think I have 

 heard the simple "Witmer'' repeated and 

 a nick-name may even be surmised. Yet 

 all these forms are without prejudice to 

 the full formal title in the check-list of 

 American men of scinee. There is no rea- 

 son why the same would not prove true of 

 the American Robin or any other similar 

 bird. 



The fact is that Planesticus migratorius 

 is not, nor ever can be. The Robin any 

 more than it can be an elephant or any 

 thing else that it is not. Calling it so col- 

 loquially or as a figure of speech may be 

 convenient and expressive where the use is 

 plain, but it is not suitable for formal oc- 

 casions or where the purpose is obscure. It 

 may be said that it is the bird called Robin 

 in America or t^ie American Robin, but it is 

 not the Robin any more than the Canada 

 Goose is a Bustard because French Can- 

 adians call it Outard. These are questions 

 of fact that cannot be set aside by spe- 

 cialist committees. The suggestion that if 

 Planesticus migratorius is the American 

 Robin, Erithocus ruhecula is the European 



Robin is hardly logical, as we can hardlv 

 call on Europe to quality itself when it 

 has the acknowledged priority; the onus 

 of distinction lies with us. 



Finally I would take exception to Mr. 

 Stone's proposal that the names of sub- 

 specifically divided species be made plu- 

 ral, as Melospiza melodia,. the Song Spar- 

 rows. This is a retrograde step, A tree is 

 a tre,e no matter how many branches it has, 

 and Melospiza melodia is a species, no 

 matter how many subspecies may be found 

 within its limits. It is not a (complex of 

 individual disconnected units but an in- 

 dividual unit itself, more or less branched 

 and containing plans of possible future 

 cleavage; but until that cleavage occurs 

 an individual entity for all that. To de- 

 clare otherwise is to support a false and 

 obsolete doctrine without in any way 

 clarifying popular concepts. 



Notes and News contains, p. 511, the ob- 

 ituary notice for Dr. C. Gordon Hewitt, 

 who died at Ottawa. Feb. 29, 1920. 



No. 4, October, 1920. 



Limicoline Voices, by J. T. Nichols, pp. 

 519-540. 



This is an interesting paper dealing with 

 the voices and call notes of the waders, the 

 occasions of their use and probable mean- 

 ings. It is largely philosophical in tone but 

 n one interested in these birds m life 

 should neglect studying it. 



In The Haunts of Carn 's Warbler, by C. 

 W. Eifrig, pp. 551-558. 



This paper, by one formerly closely as- 

 sociated with the Ottawa Naturalist, is a 

 general account of the birds in south-west- 

 ern Maryland in 3 918 



Pattern Development in Teal, by Glo- 

 ver M. Allen, pp. 258-264. 



This paper was suggested by Kennard's 

 description of the Soutlierri Blue Winged 

 Teal, (Auk, 1913). It is the presentation 

 of a new" theory of color placement based 

 upon the above species. The author post- 

 ulates certain superficial areas or centers 

 from which color may spread. White is 

 normallj' found only at the edges of these 

 areas and is to be regarded morphologi- 

 cally as caused by restriction of color de- 

 velopment, a passive rather than an act- 

 ive factor in pattern development. 



