General Notes. 197 



iridescent black of the head and body plumage of the breeding bird is almost 

 entirely lacking, the black being dull and non-lustrous. On the lower belly 

 and back it is decidedly brownish, while the remiges are ashy brown on the 

 portion extending beyond the closed secondaries, a dull brownish black 

 gradually replacing this color anteriorly. This color is also shared by the 

 tertiaries in a lesser degree, and the entire body plumage has a more or less 

 worn and rough appearance as contrasted with the smooth glossy covering 

 of the breeders. 



A parallel to this unique condition is probably to be found in the orchard, 

 hooded, and perhaps other tropical and sub-tropical orioles which require 

 three years for the acquisition of the full plumage, although it may be that 

 these species will breed in the garb of immaturity (I have no definite infor- 

 mation concerning this last). Among the other varieties of Agelaius I 

 know of none that exhibit this peculiarity which if proven consistent may 

 make necessary a rearrangement of the group, with A. p. fioridanus raised 

 to full specific rank. — F. C. Lincoln, Denver, Colo. 



A NEW NAME FOR A DROMIID CRAB. 



In 1902 : I changed the current name of the Indo-Pacific Dromia, the most 

 widely distributed of the sponge-crabs, from Dromia rumphii Fabricius, 

 1798, to the earlier name Dromia dormia (Linnaeus). 2 



A similar change should be made in the name of the European Dromia, 

 now known as Dromia vulgaris Milne Edwards. The Linnaean name, caput 

 mortuum, should be restored and the species should be called Dromia caput 

 mortuum 3 (Linnaeus). Milne Edwards himself says 4 that Linnaeus's caput 

 mortuum appears to be simply an age variety of vulgaris. 



The species to which Milne Edwards gave the name caput mortuum 6 is 

 altogether different: it occurs in the Indo-Pacific, and is as large as D. dormia 

 or the true D. caput mortuum, but is less abundant. D. caput mortuum 

 Milne Edwards, 1837, is now in need of a new specific name, for which I 

 would suggest edwardsi. As the species has been placed in Dromidiopsis 

 by Borradaile, 6 tentatively, and later by Ihle, 7 its full name is Dromidiopsis 

 edwardsi. 



To summarize the above changes in three of the largest Dromiids, 

 Dromia dormia (Linnaeus, 1763) =D. rumphii Fabricius, 1798, and most 



subsequent authors. Indo-pacific. 

 Dromia caput mortuum (Linnaeus, 1766) =D. vulgaris Milne Edwards, 1837. 



Western Europe, west coast of Africa, Mediterranean. 

 Dromidiopsis edwardsi Rathbun, 1919=Drom-ta caput mortuum Milne Ed- 

 wards, 1837, not Cancer caput mortuum Linnaeus, 1766. Indo-Pacific. 



— Mary J. Rathbun. 



iProc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 26, p. 32. 



^Cancer dormia Linnaeus, Amoen. Acad., vol. 6, 1763, p. 413. 



^Cancer caput mortuum, Sys. Nat., ed. 12, vol. 1, 1766, p. 1050, type locality, Algiria. 



4Hi8t. Nat. Crust., vol. 2, 1837, p. 173, footnote. 



sOp. cit., p. 178. 



6 Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, vol. 11, 1903, p. 299. 



7Die Decapoda Brachyura der Siboga-Expedition, I, Dromiacea, 1913, p. 28. 



