138 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



For want of books and material, as I have before remarked, I am unable to 

 follow up these corrections further; but finding myself right in so many which 

 I have been able to reconsider, I hope to be able to clear myself from some of 

 the other charges in future. 



Dr. Gray was particularly severe in his preliminary remarks. He accuses 

 me of a " gross appropriation and suppression of the names of Nuttall and 

 Others, as recorded in a public herbarium." The laws of botanical nomencla- 

 ture say " a name which has never been clearly defined in some public journal 

 or work, shall be changed for the earliest, name by which the object shall have 

 thus been defined." See Edinburg Philosophical Jour.. 18G3--4. Indeed, in the 

 language of science, a plant has not been named until it has been described in 

 some "journal or work." One may by courtesy adopt a name he finds on a 

 label attached to a herbarium specimen ; but if in his opinion, from thesmall- 

 ness or imperfection of the specimen, or from other reasons, he believes the 

 interest of science would be served by the use of another name in his de- 

 scription it is his dutj- to do so. 



I feel that I have been wronged by Dr. Gray's personal remarks in his re- 

 view of my papers. Considering such a course out of place in a scientific dis- 

 cussion, I have avoided anything like retaliation. Hut I have thought it due 

 to me as the author, and the Academy ab the publisher, of the papers criti- 

 cized by Dr. Gray, that no more errors should be laid to their charge than 

 they legitimately deserve. 



A New Classification of the North American FALCONIDiE, with Descriptions of 



Three New Species.* 



BY ROBERT RIDGWAY. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 



Having been engaged for a considerable time upon an investigation of the 

 North American Falconidse, I have found it necessary to arrange the sub- 

 families with their sections, the genera and their subgeneric divisions, in a 

 manner somewhat different from the classification usually adopted. The fol- 

 lowing scheme is intended to express the arrangement that I have been led to 

 make, as the result of the study alluded to. 



Of course, the classification presented is based entirely upon the external 

 anatomy, and may, very probably, be found to differ from one founded upon 

 the internal structure. As, however, the former is more convenient for prac- 

 tical purposes, and, moreover, there being no sufficient material at my com- 

 mand for a classification of the second kind, I trust that I may be excused for 

 offering one based upon comparatively artificial characters. Iu the descrip- 

 tions, every available character has been used, it having first been traced 

 through the group to test its importance. 



The present paper is intended as a preliminary to a "Monograph of the 

 North American Raptores," now completed, and soon to be published, in a 

 v.'lume of the series of reports of the " U. S. Geological Exploration of the 

 40th parallel," under the direction of Mr. Clarenue King. This work is in- 

 tended to embrace full descriptions of all the species of the order belonging 

 to the fauna of North America,! their differences from any analogue of South 

 America or Europe being expressed by a diagnostic table; in which manner 

 are also distinguished all the closely-allied species. The different stages of 

 plumage of each species are elucidated in detail, and all doubtful questions 

 as to the relationship of allied forms or the validity of others are fully dis- 

 cussed, and the complete synonymy given in full. 



* One, however, belonging only to West Indies. f As defined by Prof. Baird. 



[Dec. 



