4 
oo 
210 GAME BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA. 
For over one hundred years the specific name of gal- 
lopavo, Linn. has been applied to the common Wild Tur- 
key of North America (the Meleagris sylvestris nove 
angle, of Ray, Av. 51); and by that name, even among 
non-scientific persons, it is pretty generally known. 
The fact as to what particular bird Linnzeus had before 
him, and which became his type when he wrote the de- 
scription in the Systema Naturze,—whether one of the 
domesticated race descended from the Mexican Turkey, 
or an example of the common North American species,— 
cannot now be established with any degree of certainty, 
and whatever change is made in the nomenclature of the 
Wild Turkeys can have no solid foundation to rest upon. 
But in regard to this point, a spirit of unrest is abroad, 
and a new shuffle of the synonomy is attempted, and 
among some ornithologists our northern bird is called 
americana, a name without a description, given by Bar- 
tram (Travels, 1791, p. 290), and by others sylvestris 
(Viell, NZ Dict, dielist.. Nat, 1817, vol. fix. pie447) 9a 
name taken from Ray, /. c., while the long employed and 
familiar term of gallopavo is made to do service for the 
White-rumped Mexican bird. It is of little consequence 
by what name a species is called, provided it is one 
accepted generally by ornithologists; and a change 
should not be made unless it can be conclusively proved 
that the name in use has been incorrectly adopted. It 
is not apparent that in this instance it can be proved that 
this has been the case, and the question then becomes 
one of individual opinion when a change 1s agitated. 
In a popular work, such as this book pretends to be, 
the principal effort should be to furnish its readers with 
the latest information on the subject of which it treats, 
and to give the reasons, when possible, why any changes 
are made, especially in the cases of long-accepted and 
