i8qq V1 I Elliot, Some Genera and Species. 23 I 



described by Pucheran is in the Museum of Paris, it is a very 

 easy matter to send some winter examples of the Western Willet 

 to Dr. Oustalet and have a comparison made and the question 

 settled beyond a doubt. I suggest to the Committee that this be 

 done. 



In the same number of ' The Auk ' the name for our Northern 

 Turkey has been correctly given as M. /era Vieill., Nouv. Diet., 

 1817, p. 447, and not M. sylvestris Vieill. as given by me in 

 1 Game Birds.' It may be interesting to state how I came to adopt 

 that name, as Vieillot never described any Turkey as sylvestris. 

 In the MS. of the book just mentioned, I had originally placed 

 our northern bird under the name of gallopavo Linn., and it was 

 only as the copy was being put in type that, acquiescing in the 

 views of some of my colleagues, although fully convinced that 

 their case was not proven, any more than my view could be 

 proved, I adopted gallopavo for the Mexican bird. It was then 

 necessary to ascertain what name Vieillot had given the north- 

 ern bird. There was no copy of the ' Nouv. Diet.' available, 

 and I could not delay the printer until I should be able to 

 consult it, so perforce, contrary to my established custom in such 

 cases, I accepted the citation- given in B. M. Cat. Birds, XXII, 

 p. 389, as correct, and was thus led astray. 



As to the names adopted by the Committee, I regret that I 

 cannot accept them. There is no evidence that I am aware 

 of, that conclusively proves that /era and gallopavo as now 

 understood, intergrade, and until that is ascertained to be a fact 

 I prefer to consider them as distinct species, with osceola a sub- 

 species of /era. With regard to intermedia (eliioti) of my book 

 (1. cit.), the more I investigate that bird the more I. am convinced 

 that it should be accorded specific rank. Beside the different 

 coloring of the male, that of the female agrees with or resembles 

 none of the females of any other known Turkey. Like many 

 other species of birds (it would be easy to give examples) the 

 main and important specific differences are to be found in the 

 female, and if the male was exactly like /era, these characters 

 would be sufficient for separation. The gray tips to the feathers 

 of the upper surface making almost continuous bars across the 

 body, and the buff ones performing a similar service on the 



