VOL. XVI, PP. 125-128 SEPTEMBER 30, 1903 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Earliest name for the American Crow. 



Corvus americanus, in general use for the American Crow, dates from 

 Audubon, 1834 (Orn. Biogr., II, p. 317), but C. L. Brehm fully described 

 and named the species in 1822 (Beitrage zur Vogelkunde, II, 1822. p. 56), 

 as Corvus brachyrhynchos. As there can be no question about the appli 

 cability of Brehm's name, it will become necessary to adopt it for the 

 Common Crow. One subspecies will be affected by this change, viz: 

 Corvus brachyrhynchos pascum (Coues). Charles W. Richmond. 



Relationships of the Madagascar genus Hypositta Newton.* 



The genus Hypositta has by common practice been placed in the family 

 Sittidw, but possesses so many pronounced and unique structural char 

 acters that I believe it to be entitled to rank as a distinct family, which 

 may be characterized (in part) as follows: 



HYPOSITTID^E, new family. 



Small ten-primaried acutiplantar Oscines, related to Sittidce, but with 

 maxilla uncinate at tip, its tomia distinctly notched subterminally; 

 hallux (without claw) nearly as long as middle toe (without claw); outer 

 toe very nearly as long as middle toe, and united to the latter for the 

 whole of its basal and half its subbasal phalanges; inner toe only about 

 half as long as outer; acrotarsium booted; tail three-fourths as long as 

 wing. Robert Ridgicay. 



*By permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 34 PBOC. BIOL. Soc. WASH. VOL. XVI, 1903. (125) 



