2 2 GlLL. Pedioccetes and Pooctstes. LJan. 



approximated by a medieval Greek name used by Maximus 

 Planudes in his 'Anthology' — Pedocoetes — the only difference 

 being that the first component of Pedocoetes was ttc'Soi/, the ground, 

 while that of Pediocoetes was ire&lov, a plain. 



These examples amply justified Baird in the coining of the 

 names in question, and the only mistake he made was in the 

 substitution of a for o. 



III. 



It will be thus seen that Pediocaetes and Poocaetes, by a very 

 slight alteration, might have been corrected into Pediocoetes and 

 Poocoetes. As it is. through misunderstanding, names of entirely 

 different etymology were suggested in place of them, and those 

 very different names must be accepted. They must be accepted- 

 for the following reasons : — 



i. The substitute names Pooecetes and • Pedioccetes were delib- 

 erate corrections of Poocaetes and Pediocaetes. 



2. They were published not only simultaneously with the 

 incorrect names, but " stand first in the book." 



3. They were adopted in the quarto edition of the " Catalogue 

 of North American Birds" (Oct. 1858) and the octavo edition 



(1859). 



4. They were in part at least accepted before the incorrectly 

 formed names, Pooecete; having been adopted by Sclater in 1859 

 (P. Z. S., 379) and Pedioccetes 1 by Hayden in 1861 (Trans. Am. 

 Phil. Soc, N. S. XII, 172). 



c. They were generally adopted at first and only replaced later 

 by the incorrect names. 



IV. 



The data respecting the species in question given in the A. O. U. 

 code and Check-List of N. A. Birds should be replaced by the 

 following : — 



1 Suckley also in 1861, retained the text name Pediocaetes. 



