148 The Wilson Bullrtin— No. 68 



synonymy. It is here that questions of synonymy — today the 

 bane and drudgery of the working naturahst — first acquire 

 prominence in the history of our special subject. There had 

 bc.en very Httle of it liefore, and Wilson himself, the least 

 'bookish' of men, gave it scarcely any attention." - 



In his paper Bonaparte remarks: "Wilson, though one of 

 the most acute and accurate of Ornithologists, one who has 

 rendered the greatest services to science, by describing, in 

 his attactive style, the manners and habits of xA.merican birds, 

 and who has corrected so many errors of former writers, has 

 nevertheless, unavoidably committed some himself, principal- 

 ly of nomenclature, which are, in a great measure, attributa- 

 ble to a w^ant of the necessary books and opportunities of 

 comparison. So far, therefore, from being censurable for 

 these errors, we are surprised that he has not committed 

 more. ... I do not consider myself censurable for the frequent 

 repetition of the name of this great ornithologist, as applied 

 to species in ditterent genera ; it is a tribute of respect which 

 T conceive justly due to one who has done so much for the 

 benefit of my favorite science." 



It is scarcely witliin the province of a biographer to follow 

 the tortuous channels of thought and research, whereby 

 r>onaparte and Ord attempted the correction of Wilson's 

 errors in nomenclature ; nor is it surprising that so few of 

 the terms as then constructed, are in use today. Wilson 

 erroneously placed the Whooping Crane with the Heron : the 

 Chimney Swift with the Swallow ; the American Redstart, 

 Hooded. Canadian, lilack-capped and Small-headed War- 

 blers, the A'ireo and the Blue-gray Chiatcatcher, with the Fly- 

 catchers ; the Bluebird, the Kinglets, House and Winter 

 Wren, with the \\'ood Warblers ; the Yellow-breasted Chat 

 with the Manakins; the TUack and White V\'arbler, Carolina 

 and Long-bille.d Afarsh \\'rens, witli the Creepers ; and the 

 Oven-bird and Water-thrush with the Thrushes. In most 

 instances he followed his predecessors, or at least one of 



= JiiI)lio.i;r:i|iliicnl .Miiiciuli.v. I'.irtls of tlie ( "(dorndo Valley, ISTS, 



