186 THE GENERIC NAME PASSERINA. 
wrong. In 1816 Vieillot created his genus Passerina, in 
which he included three species: “Ministre — Ortolan de 
riz, — de neige, Buff.’ In 1822 Dr. B. Meyer united 
Fringilla calcarata Pallas and Emberiza nivalis L, in the 
genus Plectrophanes, which he had created in 1815 for the 
first-named species. As these two species are indeed very 
nearly allied and as the three species which Vieillot included 
in his genus Passerina are on the contrary very different 
forms, it is not to be denied, that the place given by 
Meyer to the Snow-bunting is much better and much 
more natural than that given by Vieillot to this form and 
therefore in 1822 the “Ortolan de neige” == Emberiza 
nivalis Li. has been eliminated out of the genus Passerina 
Vieillot. In 1827 Swainson created the generic name 
Dolichonyx for the second species of Vieillot’s Passerina 
and so we have in that year still only the first species of 
the three originally mentioned by Yieillot, which is now 
clearly the type of this genus. In 1858 Baird created the 
generic name Cyanospiza, which was merely a synonym of 
Passerina Vieillot, but as we may not employ the latter 
name in Zoology, being preoccupied in Botany, Baird’s 
Cyanospiza becomes the generic name of the “Ministre”, 
As to the generic name of the Snow-bunting, it is my 
opinion, that Dr. Stejneger in 1882 did good work in 
creating a new genus, Plectrophenar. By our modern views 
of generic separation Fringilla calcarata Pallas and Emberiza 
nivalis L, cannot be placed in the same genus. As pointed 
out by Dr. Stejneger Plectrophanes Meyer 1815 is a syno- 
nym of Calcarius Bechstein 1803, both having Fringilla 
calcarata Pallas for type. The generic name of this latter 
species, named by Linnaeus Fringilla lapponica, is there- 
fore Calcarius and as there is no generic name, which 
can be applied to Emberiza nivalis L., except that of Dr. 
Stejneger, we have to call the Snow-bunting, Plectrophenax 
nivalis (L.). 
Leyden Museum, March 1910. 
Notes from the Leyden Museum, Vol. XXXII. 
