■7^6 Stejneger, Analecta Ornithologica. [October 



679. [Ridgw. Nomencl.] Gelochelidon nilotica {Has- 

 selq.). — Gull-billed Tern, 



thinking the structural characters to be of sufficient value to 

 justify the generic separation of the species. 



XV. Habia against Zamelodia. 



In creating the new generic name Zamelodia Dr. Coues says 

 as follows (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, V, 1880, p. 98) : "The genus 

 Hedymeles^ Cab., 185 1, was based upon this species \_Gonia- 

 phcea htdoviciana^^ but cannot be used for it because of Hedy- 

 ?nela, Sundev. (Ofv. Vet. Akad., 1846, 323) for another genus 

 of birds, the difference being merely dialectic. Cabanis seems to 

 have proposed it simply because ^ Habia Reich. 1850' was not 

 classically correct. But Habia or Abia is said to be antedated 

 by Habia, Lesson, 183 1, and therefore untenable." 



It is Agassiz (Nomcl. Zool., Aves, p. 34 (1843)) who first 

 quotes "Habia Less. Tr. d'Ornith. 1831," — afterwards (Index 

 Univers., p. i (1846)) 'correcting' it into Abia; but an inspec- 

 tion of Lesson's 'Traits, ' etc., will show that Habia, as used by 

 him, is only the French vernacular name applied to the birds of 

 the genus Saltator Vieill., and Agassiz might just as well have 

 cited "Habia Vieill., Analyse 1816," for that is the place where 

 Vieillot himself applies the name as the vernacular equivalent of 

 the systematic name Saltator proposed simultaneously, as the 

 following quotation from p. 32 of his 'Analyse' shows : 



"66. Habia, de Azara, Saltator.'''' 



The following year he repeated the same in the 14th volume 

 of the 'Nouvelle Dictionnaire.' thus (p. 102) : 



"Habia, Saltator, Vieill. ;" 



Lesson simply follows Vieillot, reducing the name to a subge- 

 neric term, however (Tr. d'Orn., p. 464) : 



"V^ Sous-genre. Habia; Saltator, Vieill." 



All the 'French' names ai-e printed in 'heavy face,' while the 

 'Latin' names are in 'italics' the whole book through. 



It will thus be seen, that Habia was not used by Lesson or 

 Vieillot as a systematic generic term, and Reichenbach was, 

 therefore, fully justified in applying it as he did, viz., as the name 

 of the genus having the Black-headed Grosbeak for type. Caba- 

 nis gave a new name because Habia was 'barbaric' ; but as that 

 is not an objection to be considered, we will have to accept it. 



