54 THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 



cies, (the Hairy Woodpecker, and the Yellow-bellied 

 Woodpecker,) are generally denominated Sapsuckers. 

 They have also several other provincial appellations, 

 equally absurd, which it may perhaps, be more 

 proper to suppress than to sanction by repeating." 

 Now supposing Wilson had been infected with the 

 notion of particular names being " consecrated by 

 usage," and similar nonsense, he would have adopted 

 the name Sapsucker, saying that as it was almost 

 universally known in the United States by that 

 name, and " Downy Woodpecker" being only found 

 in the catalogues of two or three system-makers, it 

 would not only be hopeless for him to attempt the 

 change, but that it would be wrong for him to do so, 

 as the usual name was part of the English language. 

 Whether this course, or that which he actually 

 adopted was most for the advancement of science 

 and truth, may safely be left to the decision of the 

 unprejudiced reader. 



I shall now extract another instance of the ardour 

 for accuracy of this greatest of Ornithologists : the 

 bird under consideration is the Orchard Oriole 

 (Oriolus mutaius, Wils.) — the Orchard Hangnest 

 (Icterus mutatus) of modern systems : — " And 

 here," says Wilson, " I cannot but take notice of 

 the name which naturalists have bestowed on this 

 bird, and which is certainly remarkable. Specific 

 names, to be perfect, ought to express some peculi- 

 arity, common to no other of the genus ; and should, 

 at least, be consistent with truth; but, in the case now 



