571 Messrs. G. ]M. Mathews and T. Ircdalc on some 



Family IIYDPtOBATID.^. 



This name was used for the family Procellariidse of the 

 * Monograph/ as the oldest genus name in the family was 

 Hydrobates, which was not considered invalidated by the 

 prior introduction of Hydrobata. Up to the present time 

 no recognition of unanimity with regard to such a question 

 is possible, as though American ornithologists consistently 

 reject such similarly constituted names, British w'orkers are 

 divided in their methods : some consistently accepting such 

 names as different and valid in each case, while others, and 

 these are in the majority, consistently decide as to the 

 acce))tance or rejection of these disputed names, according 

 to sentimental conclnsions. Under tlie present conditions 

 Hydrobates would be rejected by American workers and 

 some British ones, while other British writers would use 

 Hi/drobaia. Personally, the endings -es and -a do not seem 

 sutiiciently distinct for acceptance, but as we have not to 

 nNC the name save in a family sense, we make no alteration. 

 This is a question, however, which should be definitely 

 settled, and then the ruling rigidly carried out one way or 

 the other. At the present time a large number of names 

 persist in this unsettled state, and this is not good for 

 general workers as it causes much confusion. 



This family was divided into two subfamilies, Procellari- 

 'ince = Hydrobatince, and Oceanit'ma. Only members of the 

 latter occur in Austral waters, and consequently the species 

 of the former have not previously been individually studied 

 by us. The attempt to name one member has shown that 

 there is much confusion, and we put on record our residts 

 for the benefit of iuture workers in this group. 



Genus Cymochouea Coues. 



Cymochorea Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1864, 

 p. 75. 



Type by original designation : Procellaria leucorhua 

 Vieillot. 



The acceptance of this generic name has been made 



