4 Do General Notes [july 



A Blue Goose (Chen caerulescens) was killed at Golden Eagle, 111., on 

 the Mississippi River, October 25, 1919. It was a fine adult male, the first 

 seen in this locality in many years, and was shot by C. A. Vogel. — F. Roy 

 Dean, St. Louis, Missouri. 



Merrem's 'Beytrage.' — As is well known, Merrem's 'Beytrage zur 

 besondern Geschichte der Vogel' consists of two parts published in 1784 

 and 1786, both in German. A Latin edition of both parts appeared in 

 1786. 



Recently Dr. C. W. Richmond wrote me that there was some question 

 about the names which appear on the plates of the first part. A copy 

 before him when he wrote had only German names, while the copy that 

 he had consulted some time before in the library of the Academy of Nat- 

 ural Sciences of Philadelphia, according to his memoranda, had both Ger- 

 man and Latin names, as is the case with the second part. Upon examin- 

 ing this latter copy I find that Dr. Richmond is correct. It is, however, 

 perfectly evident that the Latin names have been added after the plates 

 had been engraved, for while the German names are centered, the Latin 

 ones are placed either before or after them wherever there was more space, 

 and are in a different hand. At first I was of the opinion that they had 

 been written by hand, but after a very careful examination I am con- 

 vinced that they have been etched into -the plate as there is some differ- 

 ence in the color of the ink on the several plates, some being jet black 

 while others are decidedly brown, and in every case the Latin names 

 correspond in tone with the rest of the plate. Moreover the handwriting 

 of the Latin names in part one is the same as that of all the names in 

 part two. 



The conclusion is therefore obvious that the 1784 edition of part one 

 was printed without Latin names, but that when part two appeared the 

 engraver added Latin names to the plates of part one and an extra edition 

 was printed to accompany part two, although the date was not changed. 

 The result is that the names Cotinga rubra and C. cuprea (Plate 1) ; Gracula 

 nobilis (Plate 2); G. chrysoptera (Plate 3); Mellisuga coccinea (Plate 4); 

 Merops spiza (Plate 5); and Muscicapa ferruginea (Plate 6) have no stand- 

 ing from this part at 1784 but date, so far as this work is concerned, from 

 1786. — Witmer Stone, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 



Erratum. The memorial to the late William Brewster, adopted by 

 the Nuttall Ornithological Club and published in ' The Auk ' for January, 

 p. 27, was prepared by Mr. F. B. White, not "E. B. White" as printed.— 

 Ed. 



