I QO Correspondence. L April 



but one of the footnotes is signed " Sff.," and the diagnosis is not signed 

 (as it is in some other cases, but not in all). 



In the case of " Oidemia americana S\v. and Rich.." the proper authority 

 is obviously Swainson. and that it was not so printed in the revised 

 Check-List is clearly due to oversight. 



In regard to the priority of names published in the same volume, Mr. 

 Stone will find this point treated under Canon XVII of the A. (). U. 

 Code, to the effect that of names of equal pertinency, " that is to be per- 

 ferred which stands first in the book." 



As to the case of Lepus arcticiis, 1 should agree with Mr. Rhoads and 

 write Lcpus arcticiis Ross, or, in making a full or formal citation, Lepus 

 arcticiis "Leach" Ross. L^epus glacialis is clearly untenable, arcticiis 

 having precedence of 19 pages in the same volume. Even if Leach 

 imparted the name arcticiis to Ross, he had no right to change it later on 

 the ground that he preferred glut ialis, since ' an author has no right to 

 change or reject names of his own proposing, except in accordance with 

 rules of nomenclature governing all naturalists " (c/. A. O. U. Code, 

 Canon XXXV). The case of Lepus arcticiis Ross, therefore, rests entirely 

 on the adequacy of Ross's accompanying description, which, if sufficient 

 (I have not the description at hand), clearly renders the name glacialis 

 untenable. 1 — !■ A. Allen.] 



A Question of Nomenclature. 



To tiii. Editors ok 'The Auk': — 



Dear Sirs, — The publication by Mr. Anthony, in thfe January number 

 of ' The Auk,' of a new subspecies of Dryobatcs, under the appellation 

 Dryobates villosus montanus, involves a principle of nomenclature in 

 regard to which it may be profitable to invite the opinions of systematists, 

 and upon which a decision by the A. (). U. Committee seems desirable. 



Picus montanus of Brehm ( Vogel Deutschlands, 1831, p. 189) is now 

 relegated to the synonymy of Dendrocopos (= Dryobates) major (Linn.") ; 

 and the question arises whether or not the specific term montanus is avail- 

 able for further employment in the genus Dryobatcs. Canon XXXIII of 

 the A. O. I'. Code, which is presumed to provide for such contingencies 

 reads : "... a specific or subspecific name is to be changed when it 

 has been applied to some other species of the same genus, or used previ- 



1 Professor Baird ( Mam. X. Am , 1857, p. — ) says he does not see why the 

 name arcticiis Ross is not tenable, having priority, but not being able to con- 

 sult the work in question he follows Sabine in the use of glacialis Leach. I 

 find that in 1877, with the work before me. I gave precedence to arcticiis Ross. 



