CoUES on the Nomendature of North American Birds. 99 



Baird perpetuated was, in taking the first specks mentioned as the type ; 

 whereas Swainson expressly says that this cristalus, which he first men- 

 tions, is "aberrant." When Strickland, in 1845, proposed Cyanocitta, he 

 gave cristutus as the type, and so it must stand. Gray's and Baird's mis- 

 apprehension respecting Cyanocitta arose apparently from the fact that 

 Strickland in proposing the new genus named a new species Cyanocitta 

 superciliosa (= californica, Vig.), whence it would appear at first sight that 

 this species was the type of the new genus ; but Strickland simply referred 

 superciliosa to his new genus Cyanocitta because he did not wish to sepa- 

 rate it generically from his type-species, cristata. So Cyanocitta must stand 

 for the crested Blue Jays, leaving Aphelocoma, Cab., for the smooth-headed 

 ones. 



250. Sayornis sayi {Bp.) Bd. I see neither reason nor precedent for 

 naming a species after a person in the way Bonaparte did in this case, — 

 making an adjective out of the person's name, yet without any adjectival 

 termination. Sayus or saius would be a Latinization of Mr. Say's name, 

 as a substantive, and its genitive would be sayi or sail. If we wish to use 

 an adjectival form, it should be sayana or saiana. 



There is a good deal to be said about this matter of Latinizing proper 

 names and getting at a satisfactory genitive case. For example, it is the 

 rule to simply add -us, genitive -i, when the name ends with a consonant ; 

 as, bairdi, cassini. When the word ends with a vowel, the rule is to change 

 that vowel into i and add -us ; as, laicrencii, bonapartii. But y is both 

 vowel and consonant. It is true we have the custom of raii, derbianus, 

 from Ray and Lord Derby ; and this would give us sail, or saiana, in the 

 present case. But it seems bettdt to treat the final y as consonantal ; 

 suckleyi seems more sensible than suckleii. 



Some curious cases come up occasionally. Would Mr. Ridgway, for 

 example, recognize himself in ridgioaii or ridgvad ? What is the genitive 

 of Boie's name in Latin? According to the first rule above mentioned it 

 would be Boiii ! And how about a name already Latin in form, — that 

 is, are we to Avrite blasil, or blasiusi, — xanti, or zantusi? 



362. Haliaeetus leucocephalus (L.) Sav. This seems to be the 

 purer and preferable form of the generic word, possessing the additional 

 recommendation of being that in which Savigny wrote it. 



3 70. Ectopistes migratorius (L., 1766) Sw. I find that I must 

 recede from the position I have lately several times held, that the name of 

 our Wild Pigeon should be Ectopistes macrura (L., 1758). The following 

 is a full and fair statement of the case. In 1758, Linnaeus names a 

 Columba macroura, based upon Edwards, pi. 15, and Catesby, pi. 23. Ed- 

 wards's bird is the Zenaidura ; Catesby's is the Ectopistes; the Linnasan 

 diagnosis and habitat covers both birds. The species at it stands in 1 758 

 is therefore a composite one, to be passed over. In presenting the name 

 macrurus for adoption, my mistake has been that of supposing Edwards's 

 figure to represent the Wild Pigeon, whereas it is clearly tlie Carolina 



