Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 217 



least two clutches of the eggs of this species, taken in 1906, 

 to the Trin» Museum, where I have examined them (p. 598). 



The local race of the Tree-Creeper was not described by 

 Dr. Hartert as a subspecies of C. famifiaris, but under the 

 name of C. brachydactyla dorotliece (not dorothea) in the 

 Bull. B. O. C. xiv. p. 50. The Asia Minor form is also a 

 local race of the same species (p. 605). 



Mr. Bucknill's supposition that Motacilla ficedvla of 

 Sibthorp is identical with the British Pied Wagtail is quite 

 untenable. In the first place, Sibthorp's observations were 

 made in 1787 and published in 1818, while the first attempt 

 to describe M. Ivgiibris was made by Temminck (who con- 

 fused it with M. lugens) in 1820. Moreover, the British 

 race is very unlikely to occur in Cyprus, as its ordinary 

 migration-route does not come within a thousand miles of 

 the island. One would naturally suppose " Motacilla 

 ficedula " to refer to the Pied Flycatcher, but Mr. Bucknill 

 includes that bird also among those identified by Sibthorp 

 (p. 607). 



Clifton VicaMge, Yours &C, 



Ashburne, Derbv.-hire, F. C. R. JoURDAlX. 



Nov. 20th, 1909. 



Sirs, — In 'The Ibis/ 1909, p. 705, when reviewing 

 Part V, of my book 'Die Vogel der paliiarktischen Fauna/ 

 you have objected to my accepting the name Sylvia boriu 

 for the " Garden-Warbler " and that of Sylvia hortemis for 

 the " Orphean Warbler/' the latter having been used 

 erroneously for about a century for the " Garden-Warbler."' 



It is generally acknowledged that we must use the oldest 

 names for all birds, and that erroneously applied names 

 must be changed. This is frequently done by ornithologists 

 in all countries, when writing on foreign and less known 

 birds, and everybody acquiesces in such a proceeding, but 

 when the same practice is followed in the case of "one of 

 our familiar birds/' objection is raised. This is, however, 

 inconsistent and unscientific, because the limit between a 



