36 RiDGWAY on Objectionable Names of Birds. 



of the first island, started a flock of Black-headed Turnstones (Strep- 

 silas melanocephald) from a comfortable sun-bath they were enjoying 

 on the side of a large rock. A stiap shot added a pair of these to 

 my bag, and then on, by the Eskimo village on the point to the 

 landing. Placing the kyak on a staging, to prevent the Esliimo 

 dogs from lunching upon it, I took my spoils to the house, where I 

 ■was greeted by the happy twitter of a family of Swallows {Ilirundo 

 horreorum) the new additions to which were just receiving their first 

 lesson in aeronautics, and, as is usually the case in the first ven- 

 ture of the }'Oung members from the home-nest, causing a great 

 amount of chattering, without doubt containing much good advice. 



ON CURRENT OBJECTIONABLE NAMES OF NORTH 

 AMERICAN BIRDS. 



BY ROBERT RIDGW'AY. 



A CLAUSE under Rules of the British Association, section 10, pro- 

 vides that " a name whose meaning is glaringly false maybe changed." 

 It is not so much my purpose here to protest against violations of 

 this very proper and necessary rule, as to call attention to certain 

 inconsistencies in its enforcement. A prominent example is that of 

 the American White Pelican. This was named Pelecmms erytkro- 

 rhynchus by Gmelin in 1 788, and P. trachyrhynchus by Latham in 

 1790. The former, however, although the earliest name of the spe- 

 cies, has been rejected by many authors, on the assumption that the 

 bill in this bird is not red, that of Latham being substituted as 

 more appropi-iate, having reference as it does to the horny excres- 

 cence on the culmen peculiar to this species. It should be borne 

 in mind, however, that the bill of this Pelican is red in the breed- 

 ing season,* while the horny excrescence upon which the name 

 trachyrhynchus is based characterizes the bird only at the same 

 season ! It is therefore perfectly clear that no valid excuse exists 

 for discarding Gmelin's original appellation. 



Among the " inconsistencies " which may be noticed under this 

 head are several of importance to students of North American 



* Cf. Orn. 40th Parallel Exp., p. 634. 



