V o;- 8 J VI ] General Notes. I 77 



Hermit, and Swainson Warblers. There is also the specimen of 

 Townsend's Warbler from Chester Co., Pennsylvania, the only 

 one taken east of the Rocky Mountains, which passed through 

 several hands, selling for fabulous prices. There is also an Ipswich 

 Sparrow, obviously secured long before the type was obtained. 



In contemplating these specimens which have reposed in their 

 old cabinet for nearly 30 years untouched by the hands of ornithol- 

 ogists, their antiquated labels oblivious to the edicts of the 

 A. O. U. committee on nomenclature, one seems to be almost in 

 touch with the past generation. Besides those I have mentioned 

 are some Philadelphia Vireos and other birds collected by Prof. 

 Cope at the time he was just starting upon his scientific career 

 and presented by him to Turnbull. One cannot but wonder what 

 would have been the outcome had Prof. Cope in later years 

 continued to turn his attention to ornithology instead of neglect- 

 ing it, as he did almost entirely. 



I recall one instance ; some two years before his death, when 

 I was engaged in systematizing a heterogeneous collection of 

 birds he entered the room and in the course of conversation took 

 exception to some of the characters used in their classification. 

 " What you want," he said, "are alcoholic specimens; then you 

 can get at their proper relationships ;" and added, with a smile, 

 " some day perhaps I shall get at the birds and straighten them 

 all out." But other fields continued to demand his attention and 

 Philadelphia was prevented from adding his name to her already 

 long list of notable ornithologists. 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Thalassidroma castro of Harcourt. — Now that the question of Thalas- 

 sidroma castro vs. Oceanodroma cryfitoleucura has been brought up by 

 Mr. Grant in ' The Ibis,' and passed upon, as far as the A. O. U. ' Check- 

 List' is concerned, by the A. O. U. Committee on Classification, ornithol- 

 ogists ma}' wish to consult the original description, which will be more 

 generally accessible if reprinted in 'The Auk.' It is as follows: "It 

 differs from Leach's petrel, to which it is closely allied, in being larger; 



