28 
()RNITlIOLO(iIST 
[Vol. 6-No. 4 
ORNITHOLOGIST ailfl OOLOGIST. 
A MONTHLY MACAZINE DEVOTED TO THE STEDV 
OF BIUDS, THEIU NEMTS AND EIHLS. 
JOS. M. WADE. - - - - Eilitor 
S. L. WILLARD, - - - .!.•<.'<’< Editor 
With tlie co-operatioi) of al)lc Ornitliological 
Writers ami Coiiectors. 
Subscription.— Si.oo per annum Foreign 
subscription !?.i 25 including postage Specimen 
copies 10 cents eacli. 
JOS. M. WADE. 
Norwich, Conn. 
Fhitcrcd at tlic Norwicli P. O. a.s secoml-eiass matter. 
EDITORIAL. 
Nomenclature of North American 
Birds. 
Since the well known ‘‘Catalogue of 
North American Birds,” by Brof. B.iird 
was issued in 1859, no short ornithologi¬ 
cal work has appeared of so much impor- 
tiince as llidgway’s “Nomenclature of 
North American Birds," which has recently 
been received. 
This new list contains 22G valid species 
and recognized races which have either 
been first described or added to the North 
American fauna since the year 1859, while 
no less than 62 names of the old catalogue 
have been reduced to the ranks of synony¬ 
my or removed as extralimital. Over 300 
of the remaining 698 names have been 
more or less ch.inged, so that only 395 of 
the 760 names, as given in the old Cata¬ 
logue, are retained by Mr. Riilgway. Im¬ 
portant changes appear in the nomencla¬ 
ture of many of the groups, but our limit¬ 
ed space will not admit of any quotations 
illustrative of the changes of the generic 
and specitic names. The apjiendix con¬ 
tains a condensed analysis of the changes 
which have taken plaee in North American 
Ornithology since 1859, and is a valuable 
feature of the jiaiier. 
Oologists whose eggs are marked ac¬ 
cording to the “Smithsonian List" will be 
interested in the “Concordance" at the end 
of the work, as the numliers of the old 
Catalogue as well as those of tlie new are 
here given in conjunction. Mr. Ridgway 
has given a great amount of information 
in the 94 jiages of the pamplilet, and the 
laborious task undertaken and so thor¬ 
oughly finished by him, will add new laurels 
to his already well known fame as one of 
the first of American Ornithologists. 
Removal. 
Since our last number was sent out we 
have changed our place of business from 
Rockville, Conn., to Versailles, Conn., but 
our journal in the future wdll be issued 
from Norwich, Conn., where we shall re¬ 
side, and which will be our post-office ad¬ 
dress. This will explain to our corres¬ 
pondents why some of them have been neg¬ 
lected during the past two or three weeks. 
Our thanks are due to our contributors 
for very copious notes of the arrival of our 
feathered friends in various parts of the 
country which will have to be worked into 
shape when we have more time than at 
present. 
Our Magazine. 
We have received m iny congratulations 
on the appearance of the first three num¬ 
bers of (uir magazine, which are the more 
gratifying as they come from our scientific 
men in dift’ei'ent parts of the United States 
and Europe. It is a great satisfaction to 
us but we need a subscription list that will 
at least pay running expenses. Our time 
and labor will be cheerfully given, but if 
each one would try and induce a brother 
naturalist to subscribe it would be a great 
help to the mag.izine and would jilace it on 
a permanent footing. We get but little 
revenue from our advertising columns, 
therefore it is to the interest of our read 
ers to lend a helping hand. 
White, Bluebird’s Eoos.— A few days 
ago. on reaching home, we were very 
agreeably surpriscal to find laid on our ta¬ 
ble (not by the Bluebirds, but by a Nor¬ 
wich friend), a set of fourjuire white Blue¬ 
bird's eggs, perfectly frc*sh, and with the 
])ink hue so characteristic of the Wood¬ 
pecker's eggs. The birds were of the us 
ual ]>iumage. 
