Burns — On' Alexander Wilson. 75 



introduced, shows that it can have no standing, being merely 

 a new designation cf ScfopJiaga Sw. 1827, and therefore a 

 strict synonym. Nuttall formally and expressly gives it as such, 

 makinp; it a sul>genus (of ]\Tnscicapa) in the following term's: 

 'Sub-gvnus S}lvania. (Genus Setophaga Swainson). This is 

 enough to kill it — say rather, the nanre is still-born; and why 

 we ever undertook to resuscitate it passes my understand- 

 ing. * * * SylvOiuia must be dropped and our choice O'f a name 

 foi" the genus lies between IViUonia Bp., 1838, and Myiod- 

 ioctcs. And., 1839. Use of Wilsonia in botany ctoes not debar 

 it in zoology, and if it is not otherwise preoccupied it must 

 stand." Soon after its rejection by Baird in 1858 on the 

 ground of botanical preoccupation, it was used by Dr. Allen 

 in Proc. Essex Inst., IV, 18G1, p. 64, and in various other 

 |)laces in succeeding years. * * * The Ninth Supplement to 

 the A. O. U. Check List of North American Birds,, issued 

 in January, 1899, abandons the Syhmnia of Nuttall for the 

 IVilsonia of Bonaparte, first published in his Geographical 

 anid Comparative List, 1838, and the technical name of the 

 rechristened Simall-headed Warbler is now officially known 

 as IVilsonia mic'rocephala Ridgw., after almost three-quarters 

 of a century participation in the home-made tangle. 



REFERENCES. 



1812. Wilson, Alexauclev. American Oruitliology. VI. Muscicapa 

 minuta, p. 62. pi. L. fig. 5. (Original figure and description. 

 No claange in Ord's reprint of 1824.) • 



1815. Ord, G. Zoology of North America, Guthrie's Geography, 2nd 

 Am. ed. Bll'iiscicapa] minuta, p. 317. Not seen in the original, 

 quoted from reprint, 1894, by Samuel N. Rhoads.) 



1824. Bonaparte, diaries. 0])SPrvations on the Nomenclature of Wil- 

 son's Ornithology. Jaiir. Acad. Nat. 8ci. PJiila., IV. Mlusci- 

 capa] minuta — ^ijlvia ■inbiiita? p. 62. 



ISol. Jamison, Robert. Wilson and Bonaparte's American Ornithol- 

 ogy, I. Sylvia minuta, p. 162. ■ 



1832. Jardine, Sir William. Wilson, Bonaparte and Jardine's Amer- 

 ican Ornithology, I. Muscicapa minuta, p. 269. 



1832. Nuttall, Thomas. Manual of Ornithology of the United States 

 and Canada, I. Muscicapa iniiuita, pp. 296-297. 



