December. 1920] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



177 



The Status of the Subspecific Races of Branta 

 canadensis, by J. D. Figgins, pp. 94-102. 



This paper was suggested by H. Swarth's mono- 

 graph on the subject (Cont. from Mus. Vert. Zoo). 

 Univ. of Cal.) It is proposed that huchinsi and 

 occidenlalis be dropped as recognized sub-specific 

 races of the Canada Goose and be regarded as hy- 

 brids between canadensis and minima, the latter 

 being raised to full specific status. Remarks on 

 this proposal will be found farther along in these 

 reviews. 



The Thirty-seventh Stated Meeting of the 

 American Ornithologists' Union. By T. S. Palm- 

 er, pp. 110-125. 



This was held Nov. 10-13, 1919, at the American 

 Museum of Natural History, New York. Canada 

 was well represented by three Fellows, one Mem- 

 ber and two Associates. 247 Associates were 

 elected, 14 of them from Canada. 



In General Notes, p. 145, Jonathan Dwight un- 

 der the heading, Nomenclatural Casuistry, takes ex- 

 ception to H. C. Oberholser's (Can. Field Nat., 

 XXXIII, pp. 48-50) founding the name of his new 

 race of Red-headed Woodpecker on an ac- 

 knowledged lapsus calami. The use of the specific 

 term erythroplhalmus instead of erythrocephalus in 

 the original citation upon which Mr. Oberholser 

 bases his name is plainly an error missed by the 

 proof-reader. It is absurd to regard it as a serious 

 nomenclatural fact. Such pedantic adherence to 

 the letter of the law of priority should be discour- 

 aged. 



Under Recent Literature, — 



The Birds of Eastern Canada, by P. A. Tav- 

 erner, is reviewed, pp. 147-149. As much com- 

 mendation as the work is entitled to is given. 

 Amongst the minor criticisms made by W. S. is but 

 one on which the present writer would like some 

 light. Mr. S. objects to the author's use of the term 

 "type form, race or subspecies " as applied to the 

 first described group of a given species. It would 

 be gratifying to know how better to express the 

 idea. Whilst first described races have no taxono- 

 mic superiority over those discovered later they have 

 nomenclatural priority and as such are often to be 

 referred to. It is unfortunate that the word "type " 

 and "typical " have been given restricted and special- 

 ized meanings in zoology. The development of 

 scientific concepts has twisted them from their ob- 

 vious meaning and deprived us of very valuable 

 words in their ordinary sense. 



The Status of Larus h^perboreus barrovianus, 

 by H. C. Oberholser. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 

 Vol. 32, pp. 173-174, reviewed p. 166. 



It may be remembered that this author lately ad- 

 vocated the revival of the Point Barrow Gull as a 



recognizable subspecies of the Glaucuos Gull and 

 that Dr. Dwight in a paper referred to in the pre- 

 vious volume of this journal advanced strong evi- 

 dence to the contrary. This paper continues the 

 argument. It resolves itself into the old question 

 of what is a subspecies nad upon how fine distinc- 

 tions it can be founded. The writer has examined 

 a considerable number of these north-western birds 

 and recognizes that they do average smaller, though 

 with so much individual variation and so many ex- 

 ceptions that few birds can be recognized with cer- 

 tainty without a knowledge of their geographical 

 origin. It is a matter of opinion whether such races 

 are worthy of nomenclatural recognition. 



Under Notes and News, — 



P. 186 is a brief report on the size and scope of 

 the bird collections of the Victoria Memorial Mu- 

 seum, Ottawa. 



P. 187 is a note on the progress of the Reports of 

 the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18. As 

 far as birds are concerned only a part on bird 

 parasites (Mallophaga) and a few scattered iden- 

 tifications of invertebrate forms in bird stomachs 

 have appeared, but Dr. R. M. Anderson expects 

 to get the reports on Birds and Mammals out as 

 soon as the pressure of his duties as editor of the 

 whole series permits. 



P. 188 informs us that the Museum of Vertebrate 

 Zoology of the University of California has re- 

 ceived from Miss Annie Alexander an endowment 

 of $200,000 for its maintenance. This institution 

 has done in the past, and will do in the future, much 

 valuable work within our borders in the course of 

 its survey of west coast conditions. It is a matter 

 of satisfaction on both sides of the line that the fu- 

 ture usefulness of this able institution is assured. 



NO. 2. APRIL. 



Additions to the Avifauna of the Priblof Islands, 

 Alaska, including Four Species New to North 

 America, by G. Dallas Hanna, pp. 248-254. Mr. 

 Hanna's residence upon these lonely oceanic islands 

 has given him unusual opportunities for studying 

 their bird life. Close to the dividing line between 

 America and Asia, where the New and the Old 

 Worlds come most nearly into contact, he has col- 

 lected and observed many Old World stragglers 

 and probably has added more species to our Check 

 List than any other living man. The greatest im- 

 portance of these technical additions to our avi- 

 fauna lies in the possibility of their occurrence 

 south along the continental coast and in suggesting 

 species to be looked for there. 



The Subspecies of Branta canadensis by H. S. 

 Swarth, pp. 268-272. In this paper the perplexin? 

 subject of the Canada Goose and its races comes 



