418 General Notes. [}$ 



Polysticta versus Stellaria — a Correction. — In the recent note on 

 the generic names Polysticta and Stellaria (The Auk, XXXVI, No. 2, 

 April, 1919, p. 277), there occurs a wrong citation, to which Dr. C. W. 

 Richmond has kindly directed our attention. Lest this cause confusion it 

 seems worth while now to make the necessary correction. We have cited 

 the original place of publication of Polysticte Smith as " Illust. South Afr. 

 Zool.," whereas it should be " Report Expedition Explor. Central Africa." 

 The date, however, is correct as given — " June (or later) 1836." — 

 Harry C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C. 



Megalestris versus Catharacta. — Mr. G. M. Mathews has already 

 indicated (Novit. Zool., XVII, No. 3, December 15, 1910, p. 498; Birds 

 Australia, II, pt. 5, January 31, 1913, p. 489) that the name Catharacta 

 Brunnich must be used in place of Megalestris Bonaparte, and in this he 

 seems to be quite right. Some additional details, however, regarding 

 this interesting and complicated case, about which so much has been 

 written, may not be out of place from the viewpoint of American orni- 

 thology. The generic name Catharacta was originally proposed by Brun- 

 nich (Ornith. Bor., 1764, p. 32) for the following four species: (1) skua 

 (= Megalestris skua Auct.); (2) cepphus (= Stercorarius parasiticus 

 [Linnaeus]); (3) parasitica (= Stercorarius longicaudus Vieillot); (4) 

 copr other es (= Stercorarius parasiticus [Linnseus]); and its type was 

 apparently first designated by Reichenbach (Syst. Avium, 1851, p. v) as 

 Catharacta skua Brunnich. Dr. J. A. Allen, in discussing this case at 

 considerable length (The Auk, XXI, No. 3, July, 1904, pp. 345-348), 

 came to the conclusion that Catharacta was untenable on account of the 

 prior Catarractes Brisson (Ornith., VI, 1760, p. 102; type by monotypy 

 and tautonomy, Aptenodytes chrysocome Forster). This, however, was 

 before the publication of the revised edition of the American Ornithologists' 

 Union Code of Nomenclature, which provides that names differing in 

 classical endings shall for purposes of nomenclature be considered distinct. 

 Since this applies, of course, to the present case, the name Catharacta 

 Brunnich becomes tenable, for it is not to be rejected on account of the 

 previous Catarractes. The following species, together with their subspecies, 

 will be affected by this change: 



Catharacta skua Brunnich. 



Catharacta antarctica (Lesson). 



Catharacta chilensis (Saunders). 



Catharacta lonnbergi Mathews. 



Catharacta maccormicki (Saunders). 



Harry C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C- 



Destructive Invasion by an Australian Rail. — Irregular migration 

 of species of birds in large numbers is a phenomenon seemingly unknown in 

 the United States since the days of the Passenger Pigeon; indeed such a 

 happening is rare in any part of the world. Readers of ' The Auk ' will 



