1920 J Correspondence. 50o 



Proposition 5. Where a term is used as the name or the principal part 

 of the name of more than one species it shall, in the case of each species con- 

 cerned, be accompanied by a distinguishing modifier. 



At present Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis is called "Carolina Chick- 

 adee" and P. atricapillus alricapillus is called simply "Chickadee." This 

 may serve passably well where but one species of Chickadee occurs, but 

 where the ranges of two species overlap it causes confusion and many 

 departures from the English-language nomenclature of the 'Check-List.' 

 It is to prevent such occurrences that an application of Proposition 5 is 

 suggested. 



It may be noted that, in the example cited, to revert to "Black-capped 

 Chickadee," as is often done, would not be in accordance with Proposi- 

 tion 2. Some other suitable name, such as "Cheery Chickadee," could 

 be decided on for P. a. atricapillus. 



In their able handling of the scientific nomenclature of the 'Check-List' 

 the A. O. U. Committee are guided by their Code, but no such Code exists 

 for the English-language nomenclature, which should be arranged as far 

 as possible in accordance with the wishes of the majority of the bird stu- 

 dents in Canada and the United States. These are the people who use 

 this nomenclature; their judgment concerning it can be trusted; and 

 without their approbation it cannot remain truly standard. By submit- 

 ting the above propositions, or others of similar import, to the readers 

 of 'The Auk' for their decisions, the Committee will obtain for its guid- 

 ance in preparing a new edition of the 'Check-List' the concensus of opinion 

 of the great body of well-informed American ornithologists, bird students, 

 and bird lovers. 



Harrison F. Lewis 



P. O. Box, No. 6, Quebec, P. Q., May 21, 1920. 



[The foregoing communications on popular names open up a question 

 of far greater general interest than that of techical nomenclature, to which 

 so much space is devoted in ornithological literature, and deserve the 

 most careful consideration. Fortunately we have not and cannot have 

 a code covering the use of popular names. Any attempt in this direction, 

 such as is suggested in Mr. Lewis's propositions 2-4, will merely create a 

 a set of "book names" which no one but certain pedantic writers will use. 

 Popular usage makes our popular names and while they may sometimes 

 be coined arbitrarily and meet with general acceptance this is rarely the 

 case. As regards the attempts of the A. O. U. Committee in this direc- 

 tion the name "Vesper Sparrow" quoted by Mr. Lewis was a success 

 because it was already in general use in defiance of the books; but "Snow- 

 flake" and "Dovekie" proposed at the same time were failures and were 

 not taken up in popular usage, so that the former was rejected in the last 

 edition of the 'Check-List' in favor of the former name "Snow Bunting" 

 and the latter should similarly have reverted to "Little Auk." Mr. 



