62 



OKNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 14-No. 4 



The American Ornithologists' Union 

 abridged check list, including all the new 

 species included in the supplement to the orig- 

 inal list, is now ready. Printed in a desirable 

 form it is offered at a price that places it with- 

 in the reach of all, and we emphatically advise 

 our readers to procure it. The use of several 

 systems is becoming embarrassing and it is 

 important that all unite in adopting some one. 

 We are not prepared to advise dropping 

 entirely the Eidgway system at present for 

 several reasons. It will be found that those 

 who have lai'ge collections numbered and ar- 

 ranged by that system will be slow to change, 

 at least till they are well satisfied that they are 

 not jumping out of the frying pan into the 

 fire. Again there are thousands wlio cannot 

 be reached for some time, and can only be 

 wheeled into line gradually. Several of the 

 leading Natural History dealei's have arranged 

 their lists, using the A. O. U. numbers first, 

 followed by the Ridgway, and these will be 

 scattered over the country. We would suggest 

 that in rendering lists, numbering skins and 

 eggs, it be done in the form of a fraction, 

 using the A. O. U. for the numerator, and the 

 Ridgway or others for the denominator. In 

 this manner the change, which we think will 

 be beneficial, can be made gradually. That 

 the adoption of a new list was necessary, and 

 in keeping with the advance of present knowl- 

 edge has been felt by all, but there is neces- 

 sarily a diversity of opinion on many points. 

 We are not disposed to be grateful for extin- 

 guishing our Old Bay-winged Bunting with the 

 Vesper title, and otherwise interfering with the 

 English names which are so well established. 



It will now be in order to have the Ridgway 

 manual revised, as back water has been taken 

 in several instances, as the Western Yellow 

 Warbler and California Crow. Criticising the 

 new list, a well-known ornithologist says : 



" We are surprised to note that Arden ocri- 

 dentalis is still omitted from the list, as it 

 certainly should have a place there. With 

 Ardea peali, Peal's Egret, the case is dif- 

 ferent, but we are inclined to think that 

 this will ultimately find a place in the cata- 

 logue. 



While we are pleased to note the exclusion 

 of Chordelieft minor, Cuban Night Hawk, from 

 the list, it never having had a claim to a place 

 there, we cannot help regretting that Staroenati 

 cyanorephala. Blue-headed Quail Dove, Falco 

 ftparveriodefi, C'uban Sparrow Hawk, and Jnrmin 

 spinosa, Mexican .lacana, have not also been ex- 

 cluded, or at least placed in the hypf^thetical 



list, until we have more evidence of their oc- 

 currence within our limits than has been pre- 

 sented. 



Biiteo buteo, European Buzzard, perhaps 

 ought to be placed in the same list. But why 

 are not birds which are of purely accidental oc- 

 currence omitted? A separate list should have 

 been made of them. Because a ceitain species, 

 the usual habitat of which is widely distant, 

 has occurred once it is no good reason why it 

 .should ever occur again, and should it do so 

 sufficiently often, then it can be added to the 

 list. 



We note, and with no pleasant sensation, 

 that names are still being changed, not many 

 to be sure, yet still enough to show clearly 

 that the vaunted "hard pan" of nomenclature 

 has not yet been reached. In comparing this 

 revise with the last list not only these changes 

 in nomenclature, but other alterations, and 

 impending changes, causes us to retain the 

 opinion that we held from the beginning, that 

 it would have been far better for the Union to 

 have published a provisional list for a series 

 of years, when a comparatively correct cata- 

 logue could have been issued." 



Brief Notes. 



We are pleased to note that Mr. R. B. Trouslot of 

 Kansas City, Mo., has been elected secretary of the 

 K. C. Society of Natural Sciences. This society, al- 

 though yet young, possesses good material, and from 

 what we know of Mr. Trouslot we should imagine that, 

 if he i)uts his usual push to the work, it is bound to go 

 ahead. 



On May 30, 1888, I shot a fine ^ Kentucky Warbler. 

 I have never known of one being taken in this locality, 

 and consider it a rarity. W. H. Lucas, West Stratford, 

 Conn. 



The loss of copies of the O. & O. in the mail con- 

 tinues to be exceedingly annoying to both our sub- 

 scribers and ourselves. Each month brings us a 

 number of complaints. Our most careful efforts fail to 

 remedy the evil. We think there is just a possibility 

 that an improvement could be made in the i)ost-oftice 

 department. 



The issue of April 4th of the Forest and Stream, con- 

 taining Illustrated Salmon and Trout Supplement, is 

 one of unusual interest. 



The question is daily waxing warmer among a few 

 Natural History dealers: In what way to handle dead 

 beats, i.e., those who secure all the credit they can in 

 one quarter and then direct their operations in another. 

 The Natural History business is carried on principally 

 by mail correspondence, and it results that a dealer 

 who is disposed to favor by giving credit, many times 

 becomes the victim. We believe, judging from some 

 of the instances that come under our observation, that 

 if the faces of some of these pests of trade could be 



