VOL. vm.] B.O.U. LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 281 



We may add that this recommendation is supported by 

 several " opinions " rendered by the Commission. 



Hirundo is used in the B.O.U. List for the Swallows instead 

 of Chelidon as used by us, and DeUchon for the House-Martin 

 instead of Hirundo. This is a vexed question and shoidd 

 be submitted to and settled by the International Commission. 

 Hartert submits the following arginnent. 



" Forster (1817) divided the British species of Linne's senus 

 Hirundo, as far as they were Swallows, into three genera : Hirundo, 

 Riparia, Chelidon, each monotypic. It is true that, rigidly construed, 

 his name Hir. nrbica as the only species of Hirundo is not ' fixing the 

 type ' but, on the other hand, Riparia has been generally accepted, 

 and Chelidon must in my opinion be accepted ; it has been rejected 

 because Gray in 1840 designated its genotype as the type of Hirundo ; 

 I cannot follow this at all ! Gray was wrong in the case of the 

 Swallows. He was evidently unaware of Forster's action ; he did 

 not accept Riparia, but the mvxch later Cotyle, he designated as the 

 type of Hirundo the species rustica, which had already been made 

 the monotype of Chelidon by Forster : he further designated as the 

 type of Chelidon Boie a species which was not in Boie's genus at all, 

 and which he therefore had no right to designate as the genotype ! 

 Gray's action must therefore be dismissed, as he disregarded Forster, 

 and we must begin with Forster. His genera Chelidon and Riparia 

 being accepted, we have no choice but to allow Hirundo to remain 

 for the Martins, accepting urbica as its genotj^e." 



Colymhus is used in the B.O.U. List for the Divers instead 

 of for the Grebes. This again is a vexed question, but it has 

 already been decided by a special committee appointed by 

 the International Commission that Colymhus must be used 

 for the Grebes (c/. IX. Congr. Intern. Zool., p. 862). The 

 use of Tringa for Erolia is contrary to the Rules and Opinions. 

 The name borin for the Garden-Warbler is considered by 

 the B.O.U. Committee to be uncertain, and consequently 

 simplex is used. The decision of the Committee in this 

 case is arbitrary. It is stated (p. 363) that the name 

 horin is " founded on Daubenton's pi. 579, and the Com- 

 mittee, after a careful examination of this plate, have failed 

 to identify it with the Garden- Warbler. " As there are 

 three species figured on the Plate, and horin is founded on 

 Fig. 2, it would seem that the Committee's investigation 

 was not verv careful. It cannot be doubted that Daubenton's 

 plate — at least a properly coloured copy — together with the 

 careful description referred to the Garden-Warbler ; in 

 fact, this has general^ been admitted, though the name 

 horin had been overlooked or disregarded. 



Sterna anglica is used instead of nilotica for the Gull-billed 

 Tern, because the description of the latter is considered 

 inadequate and misleading and the feet are described as 



