1920 J Correspondence. o45 



Iredale, Ibid. XXXI, p. 68. March 29, 1913. 



Iredale, British Birds (Witherby), Vol. VI, No. 12, p. 360. May 1, 

 1913. 



Larus fuscus affinis, List Brit. Birds Comm. B. O. U., 2nd Ed., p. 255. 

 1915. 



Ibid, British Birds (Witherby), Vol. IX, p. 10. 1915. 



Another less important matter may be here attended to. 



On p. 554, Ridgway has used " Megalopterus minutus atlanticus" for 

 the Caribbean White-capped Noddy referring to Mathews, 'Birds of 

 Australia,' Vol. II, pt. 4, Nov. 1, 1912, p. 423, but on that page Mathews 

 proposed Megalopterus minutus americanus for the subspecies from the 

 Caribbean Sea and British Honduras separating it from the bird from 

 Ascension Island to which he gave the name used by Ridgway. As the 

 name americanus has anteriority and was given to the American bird, it 

 should have been used or the matter discussed, but the name is quite 

 ignored. Just previously in his key on the same page, Ridgway defined 

 a form from the Kermadec Islands calling it "Megalopterus — ?" stating, 

 "I am unable to place this bird." He also noted, "Owing to absence of 

 specimens, I am unable to compare this [M. m. atlanticus] form with 

 M. m. minutus." Mathews had included the Kermadec Island bird, 

 which he figured and described, with the typical subspecies (from Torres 

 Straits), but later in the 'Austral Avian Record,' Vol. Ill, No. 3, April 7, 

 1916, p. 55, has introduced for it the name Megalopterus minutus ker- 

 madeci. 



It is displeasing to me to record such errors in such a magnificent work, 

 but I am sorry to think that probably others- may even occur as Ridgway 

 has apologized for lack of first-hand reference to certain works, and there 

 is evidence in the work itself of unverified references in other connections. 

 On p. 797 it is written, "The remainder are names given by an anonymous 

 author and therefore, according to my view, not eligible." On p. 308 

 he had utilized " Calidus alba (Pallas) " but the names in Vroeg's Catalogue 

 must be accredited to Vroeg, otherwise the author is anonymous. "Tun- 

 stall's" names are barred also by absolute anonymity. 



Tom T. Iredale. 



39 Northwest Ave., Ealing, London, England, 

 Dec. 26, 1919. 



