408 



STEEPSILAS. 



Objections 

 to the use of 

 Arenaria. 



Objections 

 to the use of 

 Morinella. 



Synonymy of the Genus Strepsilas. 



Although the genus Strepsilas contains only three species, its synonymy positively 



includes five names ! 



Type. 



Arenaria, Brisson, Orn. v. p. 132 (1760) . . S. interpres. 



Morinella, Meyer, Taschenb. ii. p. 383 (1810) S. interpres. 



Strepsilas, Illiger, Prodromus, p. 263 (1811) S. interpres. 



Aphriza, Audubon, Syn. Birds N. Amer. p. 225 (1839) S. virgatus. 



Cinclus, Gray, List Gen. and Subgen. Birds, p. 85 (1841) S. interpres. 



According to the modern interpretation of the Stricklandian Code of Nomenclature, 

 which only admits Brissonian genera if they are additional to those of Linneus, the name 

 of Arenaria cannot be applied to a genus of birds, having been appropriated by Linneus 

 to a genus of plants. My first modification of the Stricklandian code (Seebohm, British 

 Birds, i. p. xix) rejects Arenaria of Brisson as dating for purposes of nomenclature only 

 from 1788, and therefore superseded by Arenaria of Linneus, which dates from 1767. 

 My fourth modification provides for the rejection of Morinella, on the ground that if it be 

 used as a generic term, the type of that genus must be the Dotterel, the Charadrius 

 morinellus of Linneus. It may, however, be objected that there is also a Tringa morinella 

 of Linneus, which refers to the Turnstone. The Dotterel and the Turnstone were well 

 known to the great Swedish naturalist, and appear not only in the 'Fauna Suecica 5 but 

 also in the 10th edition of the ' Systema Naturte ' as Charadrius morinellus and Tringa inter- 

 pres respectively. The Tringa morinella of Linneus does not appear until the 12th edition, 

 and was founded upon the Morinellus marinus of Catesby and the Arenaria cinerea of 

 Brisson, which Linneus, following Brisson, imagined to be a second species of Turnstone, 

 though there cannot be any doubt that the bird described by Brisson under that name 

 was a young Turnstone in first plumage with no chestnut on the back ; whereas the 

 Arenaria arenaria of Brisson and the Tringa interpres of Linneus were founded on ex- 

 amples in full breeding-dress, of which Brisson says that Edwards's plate No. 141 is " une 

 figure assez exacte." Baird, Brewer, and Eidgway (Water-Birds N. Amer. i. p. 119) appear 

 to say that these plumages are reversed in Alaska ! If there be not some extraordinary 

 blunder in their descriptions the Alaska birds must be a distinct species, but probably they 

 have mistaken young in first plumage for adults. 



Strepsilas, a name which has been used for the genus which contains the Turnstones 

 by an overwhelming majority of authors, thus remains master of the field — a conclusion 

 devoutly to be desired by all ornithologists who wish to avoid useless change, producing 

 endless confusion. 



The Common Turnstone (Strepsilas interpres), being the only species known to Linneus, 

 Brisson, or Illiger, becomes of necessity the type. 



