igiQ-] Recoithj published OrnitlioloyicnIlVurks. 547 



cannot be identified with tlie Garden-Warbler and so they 

 propose to use the later name, Sylvia simjjlex. No rules can 

 be devised to settle a question of this sort. 



Mr. Gurney discusses the well-known case of the trans- 

 ference of the name Turdas musicus from the Song-Thrush 

 to the Redwing, and here we do feel that the Held-naturalist 

 and others interested in more general aspects of zoology 

 have a genuine grievance. As has been recently pointed out 

 by Prof. Lonnberg in ' The Ibis/ the name Turdus musicus 

 Linn, occurring in literature, unless in some way further 

 qualified, must always be of doubtful meaning, and we are 

 inclined to adopt Prof. Lonuberg's suggested solution (Ibis^ 

 IDIU, p. 367J and give up the name Turdus musicus Linn, 

 altogether as indeterminable. 



But although Mr. Gurney brings very heavy artillery to 

 bear on the Rules adoptcil by the International Zoological 

 Congress and shows up many of their shortcomings and 

 imperfections, when it comes to suggesting a remedy he 

 does not do much to help us. Of the amendments to the 

 code which he proposes, the first is merely an amiable and 

 l)ious wish ; the second is very frequently adopted in tiic 

 banning of the earliest name if any doubt exists as to its 

 identification; the third, as regards the interchange of names 

 between two genera or species, we have every sympathy with 

 but we regard it as very ditficult oL' application in many cases ; 

 the fourth proposed amendment in regard to larval foims 

 does not afiect names in ornithology. 



Kuroda 0)1 a new Par us. 



LDescriptiou of a new subspecies of I'((rus vtirixs from Niijima, one 

 of the tSeveu Islands of Idzu, by Naganiichi Kuroda. Uobulsugaliu 

 Zasslii (= Tokio Zool. Mag-.), xxx. iDliS, pp. o22-o.] 



Mr. Kuroda sends us a siiort paper containing in Japanese 

 what is apparently a list ol' birds from Niijima or Niishima, 

 one of a small group of islands otf the coast of Japan near 

 Tokio. Among the birds was one which he regards as a 

 distinct form, and describes in English under the name of 

 Parus varius namiyei after the original collector. 



