Letters, Extracts, Notices, 6^c. 527 



" Olbiorchilus troglodytes troglodijtes (Linn.) " ! Mr. Ober- 

 holser ('Auk/ 1902, p. 175) maintains that the section of 

 the Wrens to which the British species belongs is not entitled 

 to the name '^ Anort/mra" assigned to it in the 'Catalogue 

 of Birds/ because " Anortlmra" is the strict equivalent of 

 Troglodytes, and Troglodytes is properly applicable to the 

 American group of Wrens typified by Troglodytes aedon. 

 He therefore proposes for Motacilla troglodytes of Linnseus 

 the new generic name Olbiorchilus, and, in accordance with 

 the trinomialism now in fashion, the British Wren becomes 

 Olbiorchilus troglodytes troglodytes ! 



To this we reply that ordinary common sense is sufficient 

 to teach us that the type of the genus Troglodytes of Vieillot 

 was intended to be Motacilla troglodytes Linn., although 

 Vieillot, when he first mentioned the genus in his 'Oiseaux 

 de I'Amerique Septentrionale ' (ii. p. 52), naturally enough, 

 only referred to the American species. But on turning to 

 Vieillot's List of Genera in his ' Analyse,' it will be found 

 that the '^Troglodyte" of Buffon { = Motacilla troglodytes 

 Linn.) is placed first in his list of species of Troglodytes and 

 Troglodytes aedon second. It cannot, surely, be denied that 

 Vieillot has here pointed out what was his obvious intention 

 in the plainest manner. We therefore venture to reject 

 Mr. Oberholser's view that T. aedon is the typical species 

 of the genus Troglodytes, and we shall continue to call our 

 British Wren by its time-honoured name. Even if the 

 contrary opinion be held to be correct according to the 

 rules of nomenclature adopted by the A.O.U., M-e do not 

 see the necessity of separating Troglodytes aedon and its 

 allied forms from T. parvulus generically. 



Balaniceps at Khartum. — Mr. W. A. Milner has kindly 

 sent us a copy of a photograph of Balaniceps rex, lately 

 taken from a specimen living in the Sirdar^s Palace Garden 

 at Khartum. This bird, after being " winged," was captured 

 alive on the White Nile by Col. Sparkes and presented to 

 Lady Wingate. It will be recollected that two living 



