Vol. XXX VII 



1919 



General Notes. 417 



GENERAL NOTES. 



The Generic Name of the Gannets. — Several years ago Mr. G. M. 

 Mathews proposed the recognition (Austral Avian Record, II, Nos. 2-3, 

 Oct. 23, 1913, pp. 55-56) of Pelecanus bassamis Linnaeus and the other 

 Gannets as a genus apart from the other species of Sula Brisson. On a 

 later occasion (Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, June 23, 1915, pp. 204—207, 

 217-218) he elaborated the diagnosis of this group and showed conclusively 

 the claims of the Gannets to generic distinction. The feathered face, the 

 proportions of wing, tail, tarsus, and culmen, and particularly the scutellate 

 toes and parts of the front of the tarsus are more than ample characters. 

 He further mentioned (Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, 1915, p. 202) what had 

 for some time been known, that the name Dysporus Illiger (Prodrom. 

 Mamm. et Avium, 1811, p. 279), which has frequently been used in either 

 generic or subgeneric sense for the Gannets, is merely a substitute term for 

 Sula Brisson, on grounds of purism. The next name in point of time, 

 Morus Vieillot (Analyse Nouv. Meth. d'Ornith. Element., April, 1816, p. 

 63), is preoccupied by Morum Bolten, 1798, for a genus of Mollusca, and 

 for this reason Mr. Mathews has named the group of Gannets Sulita 

 (Austral Avian Record, II, No. 7, Jan. 28, 1915, p. 123; type by original 

 designation, Pelecanus bassamis Linnaeus). The name Moris Leach (Syst. 

 Cat. Spec. Indig. Mamm. and Birds Brit. Mus., August, 1816, p. 35; type 

 by monotypy Moris Bassana [ = Pelecanus bassamis Linnaeus], he rejects 

 (Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, 1915, p. 202) as a nomen nudum; and Moris 

 Forster (Synop. Cat. Brit. Birds, 1817, p. 59) as a " mis-spelling of Morus 

 only " (Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, 1915, p. 217). According to the A. O. U. 

 Code of Nomenclature, Mr. Mathews is correct in the rejection of Morus 

 Vieillot on account of the prior Morum Bolten; but neither the A. O. U. 

 Code nor the International Code permits the rejection of Moris because of 

 either Morus or Morum, since Moris is a word not merely of different gram- 

 matical gender, but of different classical termination. Furthermore, the 

 generic names in the publication of Leach quoted above are not nomina 

 nuda, being properly joined with already duly described specific names; 

 and in this particular case the species is unequivocably recognizable. 

 Moreover, even if Leach's name Moris be disregarded, as of course it 

 should not be, it would then be necessary to fall back on Moris Forster, 

 1817, which of course is a perfectly legitimate substitute for Morus Vieillot. 

 Thus, in any case, the generic name of the Gannets will become Moris, 

 and the species stand as follows : 



Moris bassana (Linnaeus). 



Moris capensis (Lichtenstein). 



Moris senator serrator (Gray). 



Moris serrator dyotti (Mathews). 



Harry C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C. 



