1922.] Species ami Subspecies. 185 



Of this kind of variation, and I am not doubting the 

 utility of their recoonition so long as we do it wisely, nume- 

 rous examples will occur at once to anyone engaged in 

 the work of systematic ornithology. I would suggest the 

 Pavidjc for consideration as the first group to occur to me ; 

 but would more particularly notice an example which I have 

 already alluded to elsewhere. 



In the Bermudas, the Cloldfinch [Cardxielis rarduelis) would 

 appear to have established itself in the islands somewhere 

 about the year 1875, cage birds having apparently been 

 introduced either from the (;anaries or Europe. It would now 

 appear to be of a darker shade of coloration on the upper 

 parts than typical examples, and for this reason has been 

 separated by Mr. Kennedy as a subspecies under the name 

 of C. carduelis hermudiana. In point of fact, it is " as good 

 a subspecies " as scores of others now recognized by all of us. 

 But my point is that this darker coloration is purely a quanti- 

 tative somatic change due to chemical or actinic factors in 

 the environment, and consequently would not be inherited ; 

 so that if the bird were transported to its original habitat 

 the coloration would revert to its former tones. In this 

 respect, if my contention is true, it differs fundamentally 

 from the case of any of the examples which I have quoted 

 as characteristic of "mutational subspecies'' or ''geographic 

 species." 



Want of space forbids ni}' enlarging on this subject by 

 continuing to quote further examples or to allude to the 

 vexed question of intermediate and island forms^ many of 

 which last are undoubted subspecies. 



The whole subject is further complicated by the fact that 

 in any given subspecies one may meet with purely somatic 

 or environmental characters superimposed upon mutational 

 or gametic characters. To attempt to deal in anything like 

 an adequate way with such a difficult problem as the whole 

 question of subspecies and their classification involves, is 

 impossible at the present time; l)ut these few lines are 

 written in a tentative spirit in the hope that they will lead 

 to concentration of thought along the lines indicated. 



