Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 171 



points in the anatomy of all birds. To find here in Africa, 

 ■where the lower or anomalous families of Passerine birds 

 have not been hitherto known to be represented except by 

 the Pitta, which is merely a stray from the Indian Eegion, 

 a genus belonging to the anomalous Passerines would be a 

 matter of some importance,, especially as I suspect that 

 Smithornis will not be found to fit easily into auy established 

 family. 



The International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature. — 

 In the Zoologischer Anzeiger (vol. xlii. 1913, pp. 418-432 

 and 473-480) will bo found the report of this Commission 

 or Committee appointed by the International Zoological 

 Congress some years ago to advise them on the subject of 

 the codification of the rules of zoological nomenclature. 

 The report of what took place at Monaco in the spring or 

 this year should be carefully studied by all who are interested 

 in this important but vexing question. Perhaps the most 

 interesting action of the Commission as regards ornithological 

 nomenclature is the preparation of a list of 169 generic 

 names of birds with their authorities, references, genotypes, 

 and method of type fixation, based on the International Rules 

 and unanimously agreed upon by a special committee of 

 professional ornithologists consisting of the following : — 

 J. A. Allen (New York), E. Hartert (Tring), C. E. Hellmayr 

 (Munich), H. C. Oberholser (Washington), C. W. Richmond, 

 secretary (Washington), R. Ridgway (Washington), L. Stej- 

 neger (Washington), J. W. Stone (Philadelphia). 



This list will be found printed at length on pp. 520-528 

 of the same volume of the Anzeiger. The first thing which 

 will strike English ornithologists is the preponderance of 

 American names on the committee. England is represented 

 by only one name, that of Dr. Hartert, who though now a 

 resident in England is a German by birth; Germany is 

 represented by one name only, Erance not at all, while 

 America claims six out of the eight names of those on the 



