Coues on the Nomenclature of North American Birds. 99 
Baird perpetuated was, in taking the -first species mentioned as the type ; 
whereas Swainson expressly says that this cristatus , which he first men- 
tions, is “aberrant.” When Strickland, in 1845, proposed Cyanocitta, he 
gave cristatus as the type, and so it must stand. Gray’s and Baird’s mis- 
apprehension respecting Cyanocitta arose apparently from the fact that 
Strickland in proposing the new genus named a new species Cyanocitta 
superciliosa (== californica , Vig.), whence it would appear at first sight that 
this species was the type of the new genus ; but Strickland simply referred 
superciliosa to his new genus Cyanocitta because he did not wish to sepa- 
rate it generically from his type-species, cristata. So Cyanocitta must stand 
for the crested Blue Jays, leaving Aphelocoma, Cab., for the smooth-headed 
ones. 
250. Sayornis sayi {Bp.) Bd. I see neither reason nor precedent for 
naming a species after a person in the way Bonaparte did in this case, — 
making an adjective out of the person’s name, yet without any adjectival 
termination. Sayus or saius would be a Latinization of Mr. Say’s name, 
as a substantive, and its genitive would be sayi or sail. If we wish to use 
an adjectival form, it should be sayana or saiana. 
There is a good deal to be said about this matter of Latinizing proper 
names and getting at a satisfactory genitive case. For example, it is the 
rule to simply add -us, genitive -i, when the name ends with a consonant ; 
as, bairdi, cassini. When the word ends with a vowel, the rule is to change 
that vowel into i and add -us ; as, lawrencii, bonapartii. But y is both 
vowel and consonant. It is true we have the custom of rail, derbianus , 
from Ray and Lord Derby ; and this would give us saii, or saiana, in the 
present case. But it seems better to treat the final y as consonantal ; 
suckleyi seems more sensible than suckleii. 
Some curious cases come up occasionally. Would Mr. Ridgway, for 
example, recognize himself in ridgwaii or ridgvaii ? What is the genitive 
of Boie’s name in Latin ? According to the first rule above mentioned it 
would be Boiii ! And how about a name already Latin in form, : — that 
is, are we to write blasii, or blasiusi, — xanti, or xantusi ? 
362. Haliaeetus leucocephalus (L.) Sav. This seems to be the 
purer and preferable form of the generic word, possessing the additional 
recommendation of being that in which Savigny wrote it. 
370. Ectopistes migratorius (/>., 1766) Sw. I find that I must 
recede from the position I have lately several times held, that the name of 
our Wild Pigeon should be Ectopistes macrura (L., 1758). The following 
is a full and fair statement of the case. In 1 758, Linnaeus names a 
Columba macroura, based upon Edwards, pi. 15, and Catesby, pi. 23. Ed- 
wards’s bird is the Zenaidura; Catesby’s is the Ectopistes; the Linnaean 
diagnosis and habitat covers both birds. The species at it stands in 1758 
is therefore a composite one, to be passed over. In presenting the name 
macrurus for adoption, my mistake has been that of supposing Edwards’s 
figure to represent the Wild Pigeon, whereas it is clearly the Carolina 
