VOl 'l906 in ] General Notes. 229 



The mark of interrogation clearly indicates, therefore, Forster's inten- 

 tion to propose Luscinia aedon as a new name for the Sylvia luscinia of 

 Latham, and Luscinia as a generic term consequently must date from 

 this place. 



The generic name Philomela Link (Beschr. Natur. Samml. Univers. 

 Rostock, I, 1806, p. 31) which Doctor Sclater (loc. cit., p. 40) has proposed 

 to use for the nightingale is merely a substitute for the Sylvia of Bechstein 

 and therefore identical in application, whatever species may have been in- 

 cluded. Its author gives this reason for its introduction: "Ich habe den 

 unbequemen Namen Sylvia, welchen Bechstein dieser Gattung gegeben, 

 in Philomela venvandelt." The species that Link enumerates under 

 Philomela indicate that he had in mind the group called Sylvia by Bech- 

 stein in the latter's ' Ornithologisches Taschenbuch von und fur Deutsch- 

 land,' 1803, pp. 165-191, which name he apparently thought originated 

 with Bechstein; and consequently the type of Philomela Link must be 

 ascertained by determining the type of Sylvia Bechstein. Bechstein 

 (loc. cit.) divides his heterogeneous group Sylvia into three sections, for 

 the first two of which he gives new subgeneric names, leaving the last one 

 as typical Sylvia, from which, of course, the type of the whole genus must 

 be selected. These divisions are: 



a. Grasmticken (Curruca) [p. 165]. 



b. Laubvogel (Asilus) [p. 173]. 



c. Wurmfresser [p. 177]. 



The first (Curruca) includes the nightingale, but by tautonomy has for 

 its type Motacilla curruca Linnseus, from which Bechstein evidently took 

 the name; the type of the second (Asilus) is commonly considered to be 

 Motacilla sibillatrix Bechstein; and of the third, or typical Sylvia (Bech- 

 stein), the first species, Motacilla rubecula Linnaeus, may be fixed as the 

 type. By this arrangement Motacilla rubecula Linnseus becomes the type 

 of Philomela Link which therefore falls as a synonym of the prior Erithacus 

 Cuvier (Lee. Anat. Comp., I, 1800, tab. ii) based on the same species. 

 Since this disposes of the generic name Philomela, in so far at least as the 

 nightingale is concerned, the latter must be called Luscinia as above shown. 

 — Harry C. Oberholseh, Washington, D. C. 



Winter Record for the Robin in Hanover, N. H. — January 24, 

 1906, following a week's thaw and exceptionally warm weather for the 

 season, two Robins (Merula migratoria) appeared in the trees about the 

 college campus. Both seemed to be males, one of them uttering a few 

 song notes. They were not seen again. The presence of Robins in this 

 region in winter is so unusual that their occurrence is worthy of record. — 

 Francis G. Blake, Hanover, N. H. 



Questionable Records. — In 'The Auk' for October, 1905, pages 410 

 and 419, Mr. Arthur T. Wayne published records of two birds from south- 



