Sean General Notes. 213 
All but the second were purchased from various stands on Virginia 
Ave., N. W., between 9th and 1oth Sts., and were found on careful 
inquiry to have been killed by gunners at points between Washington 
and Alexandria. The second was killed by a gunner, who gave the bird 
to George Ayers of Alexandria, Va., who sent it to the Smithsonian 
Institution, where it now forms No. 154200 of the U. S. N. M. Collection. 
It was said to have been the only one seen. Nos. 3, 4, and 6 form Nos. 
2284, 2286 and 2289 of mycollection, and the 5th is inthe collection of 
Mr. William Palmer of this place. —PAuL BaArtTscH, Smzthsonian [nsti- 
tution, Washington, D. C. 
Note on Pagophila alba.— The attempt made (Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. V, 
June, 1882, p. 39) to supersede the established generic name Pagofhila 
by the derelict term ‘‘ Gavza” has been temporarily effectual through 
the adoption of Gavza by the A. O. U. on the strength of Dr. Stejneger’s 
misrepresentation, but is not likely to prove more successful than some 
other blunders that could be named. Gavza is traceable back to Pliny, 
as equivalent to Greek Adpos, Lat. Zarus, a gull; and is said to be still 
an Italian word for ‘gull.’ Passing by its use by Moehring in 1752 as 
equivalent to Larus, and its employ by Brisson in 1760 as a term in the 
polynomial designations of various Gulls—for these instances do not 
affect the nomenclatural point I raise—we come to Gavza, Forster, 
Enchirid. Nat. Hist. 1788, p. 38. This is said by Newton (Dict., p. 310) 
to be a genus of water birds, with no type named; but according to this 
high authority, Forster’s ‘‘ diagnosis indicates that he meant what is 
most commonly called Colyméus.” There are various other later appli- 
cations of Gavza as a generic name of certain Gulls and Plovers, notably 
one by Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 563, toa genus containing Larus eburneus and 
L. rissa ; but Boie’s employ of Gavza in this connection is voided by our 
rules in consequence of Forster’s prior use of Gavza for a genus of Divers. 
Waiving other objections to Gavia which Mr. Howard Saunders has 
indicated (Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXV, 1896, p. 301) and Professor Newton 
has specified (/. c.), we see that Forster’s Gavza, 1788, debars Boie’s 
Gavia, 1822. Pagophila Kaup, 1829, is thus in order as the tenable 
generic name of the Ivory Gull, P. alba. It is to be hoped that the next 
edition of the Check-List will correct the error into which the A. O. U. 
has been misled by relying upon unreliable evidence. —ELLIoTT CoUuEs, 
Washington, D. C. 
Arrival of Terns at Penikese Island in 1897. — Penikese Island, May 
6, 1897. Up to last night no Terns had been noted in this locality. 
Early this morning they appeared in quite a considerable body. They 
all departed the next day, returning in a day or two; their numbers being 
greatly augmented. The first egg was observed on the afternoon of May 
23. No more were discovered until the 25th, when four were noted. On 
May 29, 30, 31, quite a number of nests with one egg each, several with 
40 
