NOMENCLATURE OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 7 



The following emimeratioii contains 22G valid species and recognized 

 races which have either been first described or added to the North 

 American fauna since 1859, while, on the other hand, no less than 42 

 names of the old catalogue have been relegated to the ranks of syn- 

 onymy, and 20 more removed as extralimital. Furthermore, of the re- 

 maining 098 names over 300 have been more or less emended, so that 

 only 395 of the 760 names as given in the old catalogue are retained in 

 the current nomenclature! 



lu the present list only those forms which are assumed to be specifi- 

 cally distinct have separate numbers, the subspecies or races being dis- 

 tinguished by a letter of the alphabet («, et se'q., according to the number 

 of subordinate forms) affixed to the species-number. There being 160 

 names thus subordinated, it therefore follows that the total of this list 

 is 924, an api)arent increase of only 164 over the catalogue of 1859, but 

 an actual increase of 226. Briefly summarized, the points of numerical 

 difference between the two lists are as follows : * 



Ostensible number of names. 

 Actual number of names 



Eliminated from catalopie of IS.W 



!New forms given in catalojjuo of 1881 



Names of the old. catalogue, or their equivalents, retained 

 in the new 



Catalogue of 

 1859. 



738 

 764 



Synonyms 42 

 Species 127 



Species 637 



Catalogue of 

 1881. 



764 

 924 



Extralimital'lO 

 Subspecies 99 



Subspecies 61 



Apparent 

 increase. 



26 

 164 



Total 62 

 Total 220 



Total 698 



Names in tlio old catalogue reduced to the rank of races 61 



Generic names changed (including subsequent subdivisions of genera) 100 



Specific names changed 89 



Names of the old catalogue retained in nearly or quite their original form 395 



The geographical limits assigned to this catalogue include the entire 

 continent of North America down to the southern border of the United 

 States' besides Greenland, the peninsula of Lower California, and the 

 outlying islands of Guadalupe and Socorro, the latter in latitude 18° 35', 

 and about 240 miles off the coast of northwestern Mexico, the former in 

 latitude 29°, and 230 miles southwest from San Diego.t Guadalupe and 

 Socorro, like Lower California, are included for the reason that their 

 zoological relationships are much closer to North America, as usually 

 (but arbitrarily) restricted, than to the tropical coast-region of western 

 Mexico, their avian fauna in particular being decidedly of "Nearctic" 

 affinity, with the exception, so far as known, of only two species — a 



* A list of the names which have been changed is given on pages G9-74. 

 t The longitude of Guadalupe is 118° 20' W., the distance from the nearest point ou 

 the mainland being between 90 and 100 miles. 



