376 Notes and News. [suiy 
determined subspecies of the Hudsonian group is evidence of the need of 
such a term under such conditions. But the task of making the average 
amateur understand the use of the more or less abstract specific desig- 
nation when each “ variety’? has its own latin name is not an easy one. 
He wishes to use a name for a concrete thing not for a group, so that 
unless we abandon subspecies entirely we doubt the practicability of using 
specific vernacular names.— WITMER STONE.| 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
Dr. Epwarp Pierson Ramsay, of Sydney, Australia, a Corresponding 
Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union since 1884, died at his home 
in Truro, near Sydney, December 16, 1916, at the age of 74. He was born 
at Dobroyde House near Sydney in 1842. He was a Fellow of the Royal 
Society, a Fellow of the Linnzan Society, an honorary member of the Field 
Naturalists’ Club of Victoria and for twenty years, from 1874 to 1895, 
curator of the Australian Museum in Sydney. He was one of the leading 
Australian ornithologists of his time and was also interested in botany 
and entomology. 
His first paper on birds entitled ‘On the Didunculus strigirostris, or 
Tooth-billed Pigeon from Upolo,” appeared in the ‘Ibis’ in 1864 and during 
the next 30 years he published many papers on zoédlogy. The list of his 
publications in the ‘Royal Society’s Catalogue of Scientific Papers’ num- 
bers 120 titles and most of them relate to birds. His earlier contributions 
appeared in the ‘Ibis’ and the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society of 
London,’ but after 1877 he published most of his papers in the ‘ Proceedings 
of the Linnzan Society of New South Wales*-and in the ‘Records of the 
Australian Museum.’ One of his best known publications on ornithology 
was his ‘Tabular List of all Australian Birds at present known’ issued in 
two editions in 1878 and 1888. He was also author of ‘Notes on Food 
Fishes and Edible Mollusca of New South Wales,’ 1883, and of a number 
of short papers on mammals and fishes. 
In commemoration of his work a genus, Ramsayornis Mathews, 1912, 
and at least 10 species of birds and two of mammals have been named in his 
honor.— T.S. P. 
NEWELL A. Eppy became an Associate Member of the American Orni- 
thologists’ Union in 1885, and retained his membership for a long series of 
years. 
He died at his home in Bay City, Michigan, on February 28, 1917. 
Mr. Eddy was born in Bangor, Maine, May 20, 1856, being the son of 
