x "',.,> : v \ \ Vem. 17.') 



date, Bex, and especially Locality and altitude. We understand thai the 

 expedition in all these respects made a great success, n<> less than 505 

 species of birds being collected in some forty-five days of actual field 

 work ; an indication of the richness of the avifauna of i his pari of the world. 



Tnr many members of the American Ornithologists' Union who have 

 enjoyed a delightful day's outing a1 the Club-house of the Washington 

 Biologists' Field Club, on Plummers Island in the Potomac, will congratu- 

 late the Club upon the completion of twelve years of ownership of its 

 beautiful island home, which is marked by the issue of an attractive little 

 brochure gn ing a history of i he organizat ion and its work. 



^.s an illustration of what intensive stud} will yield it maj be menl ioned 

 that on the twelve acres included on Plummers Island there have I 

 identified, 26 mammals; l 13 birds; I s reptiles; 12 amphibia; K> fishes; 

 1500 beetles; 500 flies; 120 bugs; 60 orthoptera, 550 seed bearing plains 

 and 286 lower plants. Papers to the number of 120 have been published 

 dealing to sonic extent with the fauna and flora of the island and 106 new 

 species, 12 new genera and 2 new families have been based on material 



collected there 



Readers of ' The Auk' will be pleased to learn thai Mr. Roberl Ridgway 

 has completed the manuscript o( Part VI of his 'Birds of North and Middle 

 America' and is now engaged on the synonymy and keys to higher groups 

 for the remainder of the work. 



The appearance of Index Zoologicus No. 11 published by the Zool 

 Society of London and comprising a list genera proposed from 1901 1910 

 as well as some overlooked names , if earlier date, will be welcomed by syste- 

 matic ornithologists, rhej will however be surprised to find no mention 

 of Dr. C. W. Richmond's List of Genera o( Birds pioi 1905 (Proc. V. S. 

 Nat. \his.. Vol. 35, pp. 583-655. -Pec. 16, 1908), the most important 

 paper on bird geftera thai has appeared in the period under consideration. 

 We mighl mention also that the genus Macrosoma credited to Wes in the 

 Index, proves to be based upon a reptile, bul we trusl thai such slips are 

 rare. 



THOSE who an- interested in the stability of scientific nomenclature have 

 felt more or less apprehension as to the outcome of the agitation against 

 the strict application oi the law of priority. The result of the discussion 

 at the Ninth International Congress oi Zoology at Monaco, however, was 

 eminently satisfactor} and will inspire confidence in the stability of the 

 International Code and the decisions o\ the International Commission. 



rding to the report published in Nature. " \ resolution was adopted 

 which empowered 'the nomenclature commission to suspend the rules in 

 Cases where it would cause great confusion to earn' them out. This power 



