^° mf^^"^] General Notes. 543 



Concerning the Hawaiian Linnet. — In 'The Auk' for July, 1912, 

 pages 336-338, Mr. John C. Phillips makes a contribution to the discussion 

 of the interesting case of the Linnet of the Hawaiian Islands, where an 

 apparent change in color has come about since the introduction of the bird 

 forty of more years ago. The above writer's remarks were evidently stimu- 

 lated by two things: He did not approve of the name mutans, this having 

 been proposed by me in order to give the supposedly new form systematic 

 standing; and his doubts were clearly strong as to the Hawaiian Linnet 

 possessing any really distinctive character. 



In the first place, I was chagrined that anyone after reading my former 

 paper should interpret my use of the name mutans as signifying my belief 

 that the Hawaiian Linnet owed its character to the definite process of late 

 commonly called mutation. I see now that such an inference ought to 

 have been anticipated, and I have a due feeling of humiliation. The word 

 mutans was selected because it was the Latin equivalent of the present 

 participle " changing," referring of course to the apparent existence in this 

 case of a species in process of change, — not by any means through de 

 Vriesian mutation, but by some other process, possibly one among those 

 discussed in my previous paper. 



In the second place, as to the value of the color-character which the 

 Hawaiian Linnet displays, rather irregularly it is admitted, various con- 

 siderations are mentioned by Mr. Phillips. One thing, however, certainly 

 supports the notion that degree of redness (counting lemon yellow, cad- 

 mium yellow, orange, orange vermilion, poppy red, crimson, and various 

 dilutions of these) may be a real racial or specific character, therefore of an 

 intrinsic or germinal nature. This is, that over and over again in the best 

 systematic writings on birds we find fine differences within this series of 

 pigment colors recognized as perfectly good characters. The following 

 genera among our North American Fringillidae afford examples : Acanthis, 

 Pinicola, Carpodacus (otherwise than in the disputed case), and Loxia. 

 If such a character, whether or not in company with differences in size, etc., 

 is of systematic value in any of these cases, why not in that of the Hawaiian 

 Linnet? 



The paramount interest in the problem under discussion, rests on the 

 apparent fact that we have here a character originating, possibly becoming 

 intrinsic; in other words, a species in process of change. Further collec- 

 tions of hnnets from the Hawaiian Islands are immensely to be desired; 

 and as Mr. Phillips suggests, someone must work with live birds under 

 various conditions, so as to bring light from experimental sources. — J. 

 Grinnell, Museum of Verlcbrale Zoology, Berkeley, California. 



The Acadian Sharp-tailed Sparrow and Other Birds at Plymouth, 

 Mass.— The winter had been quite severe and on February 2, 1912, the 

 harbor was nearly frozen over, only the channels, some distance off shore, 

 being open. The shore was covered with snow and broken ice. Gulls 

 and ducks were numerous around the open water in mid-harbor. 



