346 Mr. P. L. Sclater 07i the 



de la Janda ; later on a Goose and some seven or eight eggs 

 were brought into Gibraltar from the same place. There is 

 little doubt that these birds had been slightly wounded and 

 unable to migrate. 



Anser erythropus. 



A male of this species was obtained by Ruiz near Seville 

 in February 1878. This specimen is in Lord Lilford's 

 collection. 



Larus gelastes. 



Ruiz found this Gull breeding about the 21st of May on 

 the Guadalquivir. 



Alca torda. 



I saw a Razorbill at Gibraltar during the last week in May 



1877. 



XXXI. — Remarks on the Nomenclature of the British Oivls, 

 and on the Arrangement of the Order Strigcs. By P. L. 



SCLATER. 



It is much to be regretted that Prof. Newton — our great 

 authority on the nomenclature of British Birds — has in most 

 cases contented himself with giving to the ornithological Avorld 

 the I'esults of his investigations on this subject without ex- 

 plaining the reasons which have led him to adopt certain 

 names^ generic as well as specific, in place of those usually 

 current. A series oi uotes on the much-vexed questions of 

 priority occasioned by the conflicting views of previous writers 

 on this subjectjv would^ I am sure, have much interested the 

 readers of ' The Ibis/ and have saved future inquirers much 

 anxiety and tribulation. 



It having been allotted to me, as a member of the B.O.U. 

 Committee on the List of British Birds, to examine the 

 nomenclature of the Strigidse, I have thought it might be for 

 the benefit of future Avritcrs to place on record a few notes 

 I have made on this subject, chiefly containing the reasons 



