How many sets of White Gyrfalcon have been of- 

 fered which (either through ignorance or intention) 

 are of the whitewashed "White"? When eggs of 

 alleged Falco islandus are offered with others from 

 apparent Icelandic collections a grave doubt may- 

 arise as to their authenticity. 



The similarity in scientific names adopted for dif- 

 ferent species or varieties by American and Eupopean 

 ornithologists is no doubt responsible (at the hands of 

 indifferent collectors) for some pernicious confusion as 

 regards Gyrfalcons on our list, as it is in cases of other 

 species. The White Gyrfalcon, which we call Falco 

 islandus, breeds in Northern Greenland, but not in 

 Iceland. British ornithologists call our White Gyr- 

 falcon Falco candicans, while our Gray Gyrfalcon 

 {Falco rusticolus), the only form found breeding in 

 Iceland, they designate on their lists as the Iceland 

 Falcon, Falco islandicus, or even sometimes F. is- 

 landus (!), giving rise to natural confusion as to the 

 White Gryfalcon and Gray Gyrfalcon. 



It will be seen that a hasty conclusion on the part 

 of an Oologist either exporting or importing these 

 eggs would be easily responsible for errors not appre- 

 ciated by the consignor and, unhappily, often not by 

 the average consignee. 



Sets of White Gyrfalcon, as I am informed by Mr. 

 ■ A. W. Johnson, a well known British Oologist, at 

 present making his home in California, are very diffi- 

 cult to obtain, and may be rated, he believes, as al- 

 most equal in value with those of the Black Gyrfalcon 

 (F. rusticolus obsoletus). Any sets of any Gyrfalcon, 

 it may be stated, are "good" eggs to obtain. 



TROUBLESOME SYNONOMY. 



Some grievous blunders have been perpetrated in 

 sending out sets of the Swans, the confusion of Ameri- 

 can and European scientific names, with synonynms, 

 being held responsible. Our Whooping Swan, Olor 

 cygnus, which breeds in Iceland, has been confused by 

 some handlers of eggs with Cygnus olor (the same 

 thing hind-p art-be-foremost ) although the latter is 

 the common "Mute" Swan, domesticated and breed- 

 ing on Scotland lakes, and elsewhere. Our Whooping 

 Swan is known in Europe as Cygnus musicus. A 

 blunder which is bad, though not so egregious, has 

 been made in sending out Whistling Swan from Ice- 

 land, where the species does not breed. Confusion in 

 scientific names is the excuse offered. 



Eggs of Old World forms similar to ours have been 

 exchanged as the same thing or "just as good," being 

 labeled as European. Some times they are and some 

 times they are not. We have a European price on 

 Richardson's Owl, meaning Nyctale tengmalmi. It is 

 nearly the same thing, but I submit that it would be 

 more in line with strictly honest policy to call it Teng- 

 malm's Owl, with the explanation. In the chapter on 

 Richardson's Owl in Bendire's Life Histories (page 349) 

 we read: 



"The eggs of the Old World form, Nyctale teng- 

 malmi, a species closely related to Richardson's Owl, 

 but a trifle lighter colored, and, like the Lap and 

 Hawk Owls, is also likely to occur in Alaska. There 





