Vol i90? IV ] Notes and News. 119 



in India, Ceylon, and Burma ' (Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 

 Vol. LXVII, 1901, pp. 484-492). The later years of his life were spent 

 in London, in scientific research, where he served also on the Councils of 

 the Royal, Geological, Geographical, and Zoological Societies. 



Sir Walter Lawry Buller, a Corresponding Fellow of the American 

 Ornithologists' Union, died at Fleet, in Hampshire, England, July 19, 

 1906, at the age of 68 years. He was born in New Zealand in 1838, where 

 he spent most of his life; he was a lawyer by profession, and held, at 

 different times, several government commissions. He became early 

 interested in birds, and was long recognized as the chief authority on New 

 Zealand ornithology, to which his ornithological writings mainly relate. 

 His 'History of the Birds of New Zealand' (1 vol., 4to, London) was pub- 

 lished in 1873, followed by a second edition (2 vols., 4to) in 1887-88, and 

 a 'Supplement' (2 vols., 4to) in 1905-06. He also published a 'Manual 

 of the Birds of New Zealand' (8vo, Wellington) in 1882; and many papers 

 in 'The Ibis,' the 'Proceedings' of the Zoological Society of London, and 

 the 'Transactions' of the New Zealand Institute. He was also a good 

 ethnologist, and made contributions to other branches of natural history. 



The A. O. U. Committee on the revision of the Code of Nomenclature 

 presented its report to the Council during the recent session of the A. O. 

 U. Congress held in Washington, November 13-16, 1906. After con- 

 siderable discussion the report of the Committee was adopted; on only 

 one provision was there much diversity of opinion, either in the Com- 

 mittee or in the Council. This was in relation to the determination of 

 types of genera, in reference to which the Committee submitted majority 

 and a minority reports, the majority report being the one adopted by the 

 Council. This was to the effect that where the types of polytypic genera 

 are not specified by the founder of the genus, and are not determinable 

 by the principle of tautonomy, the first species mentioned as belonging 

 to the genus is to be taken as its type. To avoid too great confusion 

 from a universal enforcement of a 'first species rule' for such cases, the 

 Linnsean genera were exempted from its application. The minority 

 report of the Committee favored the continued use of the so-called 

 'elimination method,' or the application of the rule of priority. In 

 other respects the old A. O. U. Code is not materially changed, the vari- 

 ous amendments introducing no new principle, nor reversing any former 

 ruling; they simply amplify and render more explicit such canons as 

 were open to doubtful interpretation in respect to their full scope and 

 intent. 



The Committee on the Nomenclature and Classification of North Ameri- 

 can Birds submitted a report of progress, showing that the work of prepar- 

 ing the new edition of the Check-List was well advanced, but that much 

 still remained to be accomplished before the manuscript could be given 

 to the printer. A meeting of this Committee was held after the adjourn- 

 ment of the A. O. U. Congress, at which all of the then remaining details 



