olo Correspondence. [April 



his efforts to avoid every possible mistake refuses to designate the subspecies 

 of the American Magpie because there are European races of the bird which 

 would be indistinguishable from it should they happen to occur here. At 

 the same time he does not hesitate to name the Titlark, Anthus rubescens, 

 although he would find it equally difficult to distinguish it from the Euro- 

 pean A . spinoletta — of which indeed Dr. Oberholser considers it a sub- 

 species. So with the Bittern, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, etc., 

 etc., which closely resemble species in other parts of the world. Now if 

 it is permissible to "guess" at these species why not guess the subspecies 

 also, where we are reasonably certain of them, and use the form I have 

 indicated above in cases where we are on the borderland between races or 

 where winter flocks may contain more than one subspecies? 



If we should collect several specimens of a bird that was widely dis- 

 tributed over the region we were exploring it would seem absurd not to 

 infer that all were the same form, and record them as common — though 

 we should really be absolutely certain of only the few that had been shot. 



As a matter of fact it is possible to make a misidentification in the case of 

 almost any sight record and we also make misidentifications when we have 

 specimens actually in hand, while every reviser of a group has a different 

 opinion as to the disposition of specimens from certain regions. There- 

 fore it should be clear that no system of names will ensure absolute accuracy. 



In view of all this why not follow previous custom and make our identi- 

 fications generic, specific and subspecific where the evidence points with 

 reasonable clearness; using "sp.?" or "subsp?" where there is a real 

 doubt? 



Nomenclature is now bearing about all the burdens it will stand and with 

 the excessive multiplication of genera, the establishment of several different 

 kinds of intergradation, the proposed revision in the forms of names accord- 

 ing as they are regarded as adjectives or nouns — it is rapidly weakening 

 both in utility and stability, and ere long we may be in danger of a collapse 

 of the whole cumbersome system! — Witmer Stone.] 



