SHOOTING BIRDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF IDENTIFICATION 225 



names from their original form by the author of the ' ' Flora of the 

 Rocky Mountains." These may, however, have been typographical 

 errors. Rafinesque has Lepadena (p. 545.) which Rydberg changed 

 to Lepadenia. Leucoma Ehrh. becomes Leucocoma. 



The treatment of the amphibious smartweeds which admits of 

 Persicaria coccinea (Muhl.) Greene and P. Muhlenbergii (Meisn.) 

 Small, as separate species is decidedly interesting. The most con- 

 servative view of the consideration of these would scarcely admit 

 of them as more than nomenclatorial synonyms, whereas the most 

 analytical segregation of forms would perhaps reveal them as 

 scarcely separately tenable. The treatment is, however, scarcely 

 more that of the ordinary hidebound manual, though in this case 

 it even obscures still more than ever the identity of these plants. 

 Our herbarium shows spacimens with various shoots on one plant- 

 stock answering respectively all the descriptions of what is ordi- 

 narily described as the different species, P .Hartwrightii, P. Coccinea, 

 P. Muhlenbergii and for that matter what some call P. amphibia, 

 (whatever that is) ! How long will the manuals persist in making 

 confusion worse confounded? 



Why Nuttall's Androcera (spelled Androsera) was admitted for 

 the much older Nycterium Ventenat (1903) 2 is not evident, unless 

 accidentally overlooked. 



In general it maybe said that great care has been used to 

 bring the "Flora of the Rocky Mountains" to a high standard of 

 usefulness and that oversights are in every respect negligibly few. 



Shooting Birds for the Purpose of Identification. 



BY BROTHER ALPHONSUS, C. S. C. 



In his work entitled "Michigan Bird Life," Mr. Walter Bradford 

 Barrows has the following paragraphs in the introduction, pages 13 

 and 14: 



"The scientific bird student must first of all handle actual birds; 

 since, unfortunate as it may seem to many nature lovers, accurate, 

 absolute and full knowledge of birds can be obtained only by study- 

 ing them alive, by killing and preparing them for preservation, and 

 by studying and comparing specimens so preserved. As Dr. Elliot 



1 See Am. Mid. Nat. IV, p. 333- 



