1895.] NATURAL, SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 399 



of nose), short, wide, black-bordered costal stripe, no femoral 

 stripe, back yellow-spotted. Should a larger series from the Missis- 

 sippi Valley and the Gulf States show no intergradation, semifasciata 

 is a good species and, in any event, has evident sub-specific claims 

 .to a place in nomenclature. 



Specimens: Samburg; 3 ad., 1 juv. 



39. Hyla pickeringi (Storer). Pickering's Tree Frog. 



Storer's description and name (Rept. of Mass., 1839, p. 240), of 

 this species are the first published ones. He was indebted to the 

 manuscript Journal of the Essex County Natural History Society 

 for the description. This journal was afterward published in 1852, 

 and the manuscript referred to is given in the table of contents as 

 "Remarks on Hyla (Femoralis) Pickeringii observed in the North 

 Parish of Dan vers. By Andrew Nichols. ... p. 593." 



Storer was a good friend of Holbrook. He does not seem to have 

 published his " Hy lodes pickeringi " as new, as he omits the "nobis" 

 used after such species. He also omits giving any author's name, 

 but gives the synonymatic reference, "N. A. Herpet. , Vol. III." 

 This refers to the first edition of Holbrook's work which probably 

 had not been issued from the press when Storer wrote his description. 

 This accounts for Storer not giving the page reference. Holbrook's 

 Herpetology came out in 1838, one year before the date of Storer's 

 work, but it contains no reference to H. pickeringi. In the second 

 edition published in 1842 the description and plate appear but there 

 is no reference to Storer. 



The whole thing is difficult to interpret, but so far as our evidence 

 goes Storer has the best of it and sole claim to the name. It is 

 probable, however, that Holbrook had suggested to Storer that the 

 animal would be named after Dr. Pickering in his forthcoming third 

 volume of the N. A. Herpetology and Storer innocently so used the 

 name in his manuscript and inadvertently allowed it to get into 

 print in that form before Holbrook had published it. Holbrook's 

 disregard of Storer's previous use qf. the name is inexplicable. 



Only heard in the mountains of the eastern region. 



Specimen: Roan Mt. (6,300) ft., Mitchell Co., N. Car., (200yds. 

 east of Tennessee line), 1 ad. $ . 



