Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 173 



called a reviser of Liimseus nor a designator of the type of 

 Liunseus' genus. 



On the other hand, Latham (Genl. Synopsis Suppl. i. 

 1787, pp. 294, 295) very definitely adopted Linnseus^ genus 

 Colymbus for the Loons, and proposed Podiceps for the 

 Grebes. 



A reference to the British Museum Catalogue will sho\v 

 that up to 1882 when Stejneger (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. 

 1882/p. 42) proposed to use Urinator for the Divers, the 

 generic term Colymbus had been almost universally applied 

 to these birds. 



We hope that Ameincan ornithologists will see their way 

 to return to what we in England have always considered the 

 more correct usage of this generic term, and we hope that 

 this note will meet the eye of Dr. Richmond, the secretary 

 of the Committee who drew up the list of names, and that 

 lie will ask the Committee to reconsider their decision on 

 this point. 



The Generic name Oxynotus Swains. — On page 227 of the 

 recently published second part of the fifth volume of Shelley's 

 ' Birds of Africa,^ the generic name Oxynotus Swainson 

 (Fauna Boreal.-Amer., Birds, p. 483) is used for the little 

 bird known as the " Cusenier " from the island of Mau- 

 ritius, while Schetba Lesson (Traite d'Orn. p. 374) is given 

 as a synonym. 



It has been recently pointed out to me by Mr. Tom Ire- 

 dale, that Swainson's work did not appear until Feb. 1832, 

 whereas Lesson's Traite came out in parts during 1830-31, 

 the portion containing Schetba being issued about December 

 1830 (see Mathews, Nov. Zool. xviii. 1911, p. 14). Schetba 

 therefore antedates Oxynotus. Unfortunately, however, 

 neither of these names can be used for the Cusenier of 

 Mauritius. 



In the case of Schetba the type, which is given as Oxynotus 

 rujiventer, the Cusenier, in Shelley, is wrongly determined. 



