30 
BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL 
2. Name of the Golden-crowned Thrush. — Originally and 
usually written aurocapillus, which should give way to auricapillus. 
The word means simply “gold-hair,” i. e., “golden-haired.” The 
point is here : that the ablative of “gold,” which is auro, is 
only to be used when the word with which it is compounded is an 
adjective or participial; otherwise auri is the correct form. If we 
were to employ the participial adjective capillatus, it would be correct 
to say aurocapillatus, i. e., literally and correctly, “haired with 
gold,” auro being the ahlativus instrumenti, that with or by means 
of which the bird is “ haired.” So we say rightly aurocrutatiis, 
aurost7'iatits, auropunctatus, crested, streaked, or speckled with gold, 
(color understood), but auriceps, auricollis, Auriparus, etc. So also, 
if we were to compound with the adjective aureus^ “ golden,” we 
should say, e. g., aureicaiida, not aureocaudatus. Either aureicapillus 
or auricapillus is correct, but aurocapillus is not. 
3. Name op the Small-billed Water-Thrush. — It is to be 
noted that Motacilla noveboracensis of Gmelin, 1788, is precisely the 
same as Motacilla ncevia of Boddaert, 1783, both being based upon 
Blanche Enluminee 752, fig. 1, which is the Fauvette tachetee de la 
Louisianeoi BufFon, afterward the New York Warbler of Pennant 
and Latham. G. R. Gray seems to have observed this fact, but 
neither he nor any other author, according to my recollection, has 
acted upon the obvious requirement of the case, namely, that we 
must say Siurus ncevius (Bodd.), instead of S. noveboracensis (Gm.). 
Very curiously, Gmelin in another place made this species out to be 
a 'variety of the Cape May Warbler, Perissoglossa tigrina ; for, 
Gmelin’s Motacilla tigrina var. ^ (and so, also, Latham’s Sylvia 
tigrina var. jS) is based exclusively upon the Ficedula dominicensis 
fusca of Brisson, Ornith., iii, 513, which is the Small-billed Water- 
Thrush. Vieillot, in 1807, noticed this curious circumstance, which 
authors have generally overlooked, and correctly allocated the 
synonymy. The name ncevius is unobjectionable, has priority, and 
must obtain. 
4. Name of th^ Large-billed Water-Thrush. — This is properly 
Siurus motacilla (YieilL), Bp., for the Turdus motacilla., accurately 
described and recognizably figured by Vieillot in 1807, is unques- 
reason, common sense certainly tells ns to spell correctly if we can. If we are 
always to preserve the original forms of names, we must, for example, say Scopo^ 
lax instead of Scolopax — it so stands in LiNN. Syst. Nat. i, 1766, p. 242. 
