1 86 General Notes. f A A p ^ 



upon this point, its text being as follows: " a specific or subspecific 



name is to be changed when it has been applied to some other species of 

 the same genus, or used previously in combination with the same generic 

 name." The phrase, " or used previously in combination with the same 

 generic name," seems to leave no doubt of its meaning; and a strictly 

 literal interpretation of this clause will treat alike all combinations, 

 whether or not they happen to be those of original descriptions. 



Such being the case, there are two names in our North American List 

 which must be changed. The first of these, Piranga rubra, for the Sum- 

 mer Tanager, is untenable because Piranga rubra was previously used 

 by Yieillot, as well as by many succeeding authors, for the species now 

 known as Piranga erythromelas. The rejection of Piranga rubra for the 

 Summer Tanager permits its employment for the Scarlet Tanager; the 

 former then becoming Piranga (estiva. This is rather a fortunate cir- 

 cumstance, for these two birds will thus bear the names so long in use 

 before the publication of the first edition of the A. O. U. Check-List. 



The specific term of Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Fringilla front- 

 alis Say, Long's Exped. to Rocky Mts., 1824, II, 40) must give way on 

 account of Fringilla frontalis Yieillot (Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. 1S17, 

 XII, 181), which is a synonym of Sporopipes frontalis (Daudin). The 

 next available name seems to be Carpodacus obscurus McCall (Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., June, 1851,220), and the United States form of the 

 House Finch will consequently become Carpodacus mexicanus ob- 

 scurus. — Harry C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C. 



Four Preoccupied Names. — Psiltacus augustus Vigors, P. Z. S. (1836), 

 Jan. 16, 1837, 80, for the Imperial Parrot of Dominica, is preoccupied by 

 Psiltacus augustus Shaw, Mus. Lever., 1792,59, pi. 2. This will necessi- 

 tate a new name for Amazona augusta (Vigors), which may be called 

 Amazona imperia lis, this name having stood for several years in Mr. Ridg- 

 way's MSS. 



Pachyrhamphus similis was first used by Cherrie for a Nicaraguan 

 Becard (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, 1S91, 343) and its subsequent use by 

 Mr. Salvin for a South American species (Novit. Zool., II, 1895, 13) 

 renders the latter open to a new name. It may be called Pachyrhamphus 

 salviui. 



Blax, lately proposed by Reichenow (Ornith. Monats., II, 1894, 126) 

 for an African Barbet, is preoccupied by two or three genera of the same 

 name in insects (Thomson, i860; Loew, 1S72, etc.). It is proposed to 

 use as a substitute Blacops, 1 with a single species, Blacops gymnophthal- 

 mus (Reichenow). 



Bocagia of Shelley (Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, XVIII, May 26, 1S94, xliii), 

 for two species of African Shrikes, is untenable, there being a Bocageia 



1 B\ag, and w»|/. 



