44 General Notes. 



with the tenth edition (1758), for here Linnaeus unquestionably included 

 both birds in the references under his Columha macroura. 



The A. O. U. committee on nomenclature and American ornithologists 

 generally have of late years used this name for the Mourning Dove, and 

 have called the Passenger Pigeon by the name that first ai)j)eared in the 

 twelfth edition — Columha niigraloria Linn. In my opinion, however, this 

 is hardly correct. 



Linnaeus' Columha macroura was based on Edwards p. 15, t. 15, and 

 Catesby p. 23, t. 23. Edwards' bird, carefully described and well figured, 

 was of course a Mourning Dove, but it came from the West Indies, and 

 Edwards tells us, " The Figure of this Bird shews it of its natural Bigness." 

 Measuring the various parts and comparing the lesults witli specimens, I 

 find it altogether too small for the continental form of the Mourning Dove, 

 and to agree very well with the small form of Cuba (and other islands of 

 the Greater Antilles?) which has lately been named Zenaidura macroura 

 bella by Palmer and Riley. The reference to Catesby applies wholly to 

 the Passenger Pigeon and the plate shows a fine adult male. 



Now as all Linnaeus' references were given chronologically it matters 

 not which came first, and the important question is from which of these 

 two distinct species, confused under one name, did Linnaeus take his brief 

 diagnosis and his " Habitat." In tjiis instance it is plain. Linnaeus' 

 diagnosis reads " pectore purpurascente," and lie also says " Habitat, in 

 Canada : hyhernat in Carolina," both directly from Catesby, and neither 

 having anything whatever to do with Edwards. 



In the twelfth edition Linnaeus dropped Columha macroura, called the 

 Passenger Pigeon Columha mlgratoria, the Carolina Mourning Dove Co- 

 lumha carolinensis, and named the bird of Edwards' plate No. 15 Columha 

 marginafa. 



It is therefore my opinion that we who stand by the tenth edition must 

 arrange the names of these Columbae as follows : 



Ectopistes macrourus (Linn.) 

 Passenger Pigeon. 

 Columha macroura Linn., S. N. ed. 10, p. 164, 1758. 



Zenaidura carolinensis carolinensis (Linn.) 

 Carolina Mourning Dove. 

 Columha carolinmsis Linn., S. N. ed. 12, p. 286, 17()r). 



Zenaidura carolinensis marginata (Linn.) * 

 West Indian Mourning Dove. 



Columha marginata Linn., S. N. ed. 12, p. 286, 1766. 



— Outram Bangs. 



* As to this latter name's supplanting Zenaidura carolinensis bella (Palmer and Riley) 

 I can not help feeling regret that a good modern name founded on a bird from a definite 

 region should give way to an old one without delinite type locality. But I can see no 

 heli> for it. Kdwiirds distinctly says his bird was from the West Indies, and llgures a 

 very small example, and ns the small si/e of ihc Cuban Mourning Dove is about ils only 

 distinctive character, I am afraid the Oiliunbu marginata Linn, must be the name by 

 which it shall be known. 



