234 Mr. J. H. Gurnets Notes on 
the type; but B. latissimus appears also to form a link 
between the typical Buzzards and the genera Rupornis and 
Butastur, and it especially bears a strong general resemblance 
in its markings to one species of the latter genus, Butastur 
indicus of Mr. Sharpens work. 
Buteo latissimus has hitherto been usually known by the 
specific name of ee pennsylvanicus /’ but Mr. Sharpe has adopted 
for it in preference that of “latissimus, 33 and has favoured 
me with the following explanation of his reason for doing so : 
“ Wilson first named Accipiter fuscus 1 Falco pennsylvanicus. 3 
He subsequently gave the same name to the Buzzard; but 
afterwards finding his mistake in naming two birds thus, he 
himself altered that of the Buzzard to ( Falco latissimus 3 This 
must be the name, as the older one was preoccupied 33 *. 
In the case of the allied species, for which Mr. Sharpe has 
adopted the specific name of “ obsoletus 33 he has also dropped 
a more accustomed appellation, that of “ swainsoni 33 and in 
this instance apparently on insufficient grounds. The name 
of Falco obsoletus was given by Gmelin to the “ Plain Palcon 33 
of Pennant's f Arctic Zoology/ but on reference to the de¬ 
scription of this bird given in Pennant’s work, I am decidedly 
of opinion that it was taken from an immature specimen 
either of Falco gyrfalco or of F. islandicus (including under 
the latter term F. holbcelli-\ of Mr. Sharpens work), and I 
therefore look upon Buteo swainsoni as the correct name for 
the present species. I may add that Mr. Sharpe includes 
among the synonyms of Buteo swainsoni the “ Buzzard 
Falcon 33 of Pennant’s c Arctic Zoology/ which, so far as 
it relates to an American Buzzard, appears to me to refer to 
the immature plumage of B. borealis, as it is styled, accord¬ 
ing to Pennant, “ The great Hen-hawk/’ which is known to 
be an appellation of B. borealis J. 
* [As the application of the name pennsylvanicus has remained prac¬ 
tically unchallenged for about sixty-four years, we trust that Mr. Sharpe’s 
proposed change will not be adopted, based, as it is, upon a strained appli¬ 
cation of the law of priority.— Ed.] 
t I reserve for future consideration, in its proper place, the question of 
the specific distinctness of Falco holbcelli. 
! Conf Audubon’s 1 Ornithological Biography,’ vol. i. p. 270. 
