194 Stone, Changes in Generic Names of American Birds. [\nril 



Merula Leach, 1816, becomes Planesticus Bp. 1854. — Merula 

 Leach, 1816, is a nomen nudum but in any case is antedated by 

 Merula Koch, 1816 (Syst. Baier. Zool., p. 242), based upon Stumus 

 roseus L. ; Koch's work, as I am told by Dr. Richmond, appearing 

 earlier in the year. 



The name Merula being thus doubly invalidated we must adopt 

 for the Robin and its allies Planesticus Bp., Compt. Rend., XXXVIII, 

 p. 3, 1S54; type (first species) Turdus lereboulleti Bp. = Turdus 

 jamaicensis Gm. There is an earlier name, Hodoiporus, proposed 

 by Reichenbach in 1850, Av. Syst. Nat., pi. liii, based on a figure of 

 head, feet, wing, etc., but there is no specific name and the specific 

 identification of the bird is in doubt. It is, however, certainly 

 one of the group formerly called "Merula" so that the name may 

 be considered available by some. 



Olbiorchilus Oberh. 1902, becomes Nannus Billberg, 1828. 

 — Billberg's genus Nannus Synop. Faun. Scand., p. 57, is a sub- 

 stitute for Troglodites Cuvier, 1817, Regn. Anim., I, p. 370, the 

 type of which is Motacilla troglodytes Linn., and thus has many 

 years priority over Olbiorchilus. 



II. Equivalent Genera. 



Dysporus Illiger, 1811, becomes Morus Vieill. 1816. — In the 

 introduction to Illiger's Prodromus he mentions a number of 

 generic names which for one reason or another he declines to 

 accept and for which he proposes substitutes in the body of the 

 work. One of these is Sula Briss., for which he proposes Dys- 

 porus. The two names being synonymous we must seek another 

 subgeneric name for the Gannet, which is found in Morus Vieillot, 

 1816, Analyse, p. 63, based entirely upon Pelecanus bassanus Linn. 



Merganser Brisson, 1760, becomes Serrator 'Sprungli' Storr, 

 1784. — Brisson's Merganser and Linnaeus' s Mergus seem to be 

 based upon exactly the same birds and are therefore synonymous. 

 Serrator Sprungli, in Storr's Alpenreise, I, p. 74 (1784), seems to 

 be the next name for the Mergansers of authors; type by tau- 

 tonomy Mergus serrator L. 



