General Notes. 75 



THE GENERIC NAME OF THE WILLET. 



For many years since 1858 at least the Willet has remained in undis 

 puted possession of the generic name Symphemia, proposed by Rafinesque 

 in 1819 (Journal de Physique, LXXXVIII, p. 418), but overlooked by orni 

 thologists until 1845, when it was noticed by Hartlaub (Revue Zoologique, 

 1845, p. 342). This author, in some notes on genera omitted by Gray in 

 his " List of Genera of Birds," mentioned Rafinesque's paper, citing the 

 three genera of birds there diagnosed, Rimamphus, Helmitheros, and Sym 

 phemia (all on page 418), giving, however, merely a reference to the first 

 page (p. 417) of Rafinesque's article. Of the last he wrote: "Symphemia, 

 Genre etabli par Rafinesque, I.e., pour le Scolopax semipalmata, Gmel. espSce 

 bien connue et type du genre Catoplrophorus de Bonaparte (1828). M. 

 Rafinesque a nomine cet oiseau S. atlantica." Relying on Hartlaub's usual 

 accuracy, subsequent authors accepted this statement (and erroneous page 

 reference) without question, and Symphemia has since figured as the proper 

 generic name for the Willet. Turning now to Rafinesque's paper we find 

 the following brief account of Symphemia: "SYMPHEMIA. Different du 

 genre Tringa par bee cylindrique, doigts semi-palme"s. Type T. semi- 

 palmata que je nomme S. atlantica. II y en a une autre espece en Ken 

 tucky qui peut se nommer S. melanura" That this diagnosis is not in 

 tended for the Willet is at once evident. The Willet, a long-legged bird, 

 originally placed in the Linnaean genus Scolopax, has never been referred 

 to Tringa, and its bill is by no means cylindrical. What Rafinesque 

 actually did was to erect the genus Symphemia for Tringa semipalmata 

 Wilson, our present Ereunetes pusiUus (Linnaeus), and as a natural sequence 

 Symphemia must be reduced to a synonym of Ereunetes Illiger, 1811. 

 Hence another name will be required for the Willet ; and the earliest 

 generic term for this bird appears to be Catoptrophorus Bonaparte (Ann. 

 Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, II, Nov., 1827, p. 323), first introduced as a sub- 

 genus of Totanus, in these words: "following the mania of the day, we 

 have formed a new subgenus for the reception of this bird, which deserves 

 the distinction quite as well, and better than a great many others." 



It is unfortunate that Billberg's short term Nea was not published until 

 1828 (Synopsis Faunae Scandinaviae, II, 1828, p. 155). Two species were 

 included in this genus, viz : Scolopax glottis Linn., and S. semipalmata 

 Gmelin. The former is the type of Glottis Koch, 1816, leaving the latter as 

 type of Nea. Chas. W.Richmond. 



NOTE ON THE SYNONYMY OF HMMATOSPIZA SIPAHI. 



In a recent note on this species (Novitates Zoologicae, XI, p. 456), Mr. 

 Hartert accepts as its proper name Hsematospiza indica (Gmelin), based 

 on Seba (I, pi. 60, fig. 4), and cites two synonyms not mentioned in the 

 British Museum " Catalogue of Birds," viz.: Loxia indica Gmelin (1788), 

 and L. boetonensis Latham (1790). To these may be added three others, all 

 based on Seba, or on Brisson (ex Seba) : 



