3790 The Zoologist— December, 1873. 



14th, This morning at seven o'clock the sun was shining beauti- 

 fully, and I saw eleven or twelve house martins flying round about 

 the church steeple ; all appeared to be in pursuit of insects, some 

 as high up as the weathercock, which I should think is eighty or 

 a hundred feet high ; I have not seen one since. The wind was 

 north-west when I saw the martins, which was about favourable for 

 leaving. 



29th. The first fieldfare was seen this day on the Pease Marsh, 



between Godalraing and Guildford. 



William Stafford. 



Godalming, October 29, 1873. 



The Relation hetween the Colour and Geographical Distribution 

 of Birds. By Robert Ridgway.* 



The July number of the 'Naturalist' contains a criticism of my 

 paper on the relation between colour and geographical distribution 

 of birdsjt which is doubtless by this time familiar to the readers of 

 this journal. The tone of this criticism renders it necessary for 

 me to reply to it : but in doing so I shall endeavour to use as little 

 space as possible, and limit ray defence to the statement of a few 

 simple truths, which I hope will answer the purpose as well as a 

 lengthy discussion. 



The specific charges made against me are two in number: (1) I 

 am accused of " appropriating Mr. Allen's work without acknow- 

 ledgment" to the latter author; and (2) of dishonestly claiming 

 originality in the conception of certain laws and of cases illus- 

 trating them. These charges are preferred severally in the 

 following words: — "He writes as if his views were both novel and 

 original, which is not the case. To speak plainly, the paper is 

 based entirely upon Mr.^Alleu's views, without the slightest allusion 

 to this author; and is illustrated chiefly by cases already published, 

 yet without proper references." 



* Eeprinted from the ' American Naturalist,' September, 1873. 



+ "On the relation between Colour and Geographical Distribution in Birds, as 

 exhibited in Melanism and Hypcrchromism." Art. Jouru. Sci. iv. Dec, 1872, p. 454; 

 V. Jan., 1873, p. 39. [I trust that the references to this and other papers cited in the 

 course of Mr. Ridgway's reply, as well as the critique to which it especially refers, 

 •will induce my readers to obtain a sight of all these productions : although the sub- 

 ject is one of such great interest, it is impossible to make room for their reproduction 

 in the ' Zoologist.' The tendency of all these papers is indicated in the Keply here 

 reprinted, — Edward Ncicman.'} 



