Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-19
The OrtoIan Question.

am glad to see that OWE R." and Hugh M
Smith, esq. have in The STAR of Wednesday
further agitated the ortOan question, because
should like the attention of the sporting fra
ternity drawn to the subject. If DR.. Coues con-
tends that the rail and ortolan are the same.
then the District people have some authority
for misapplying the word ortolan; but where
does DR.. COues get his authority? For it is not
to be supposed that he ventures to make his
own classification. AS Mr.. ''S." doubts the
source OF my information. and asks for it, | shall
presently accommodate him. Wishing to make
these remarks as brief as possible, l confine my
self closely to the point in question:: Can the
rail be called OrtOian? "~, .''';
Strictly speaking we have no ortolan. Our
smaller American brother bears about the same
resemblance to it that the English quail does to
our partridge, or the English hare to our rab-
bit. But If the name must be used-and it
seems sO-then for heavens sake let it be ap-
piled to land bird that is nearly identical. and
not to waterfowl totally unlike 1t.
Audubon" does not consider the ortolan an
American bird; neither does .Swainson."
wilson" page 49,. vol 3: EurberZa, Dry
zivora, LIE Ortoan de la Caroline L Agripeum
on l. 0rtolan: This is the Bob Link Of
and Rice bird and Reed bird of Pennsylvania"
Again, Supposed by some to be equal to the
famous OrtOlan Of Europe" q. Thus chasing
him with the rice bird, bat nowhere with the
fah, WHICH ne oeScriDeS as wild, solitary and
shy" Wood" page 4sl: Ortolan or Garden
Bunting. casper" page A.: The Bob o Link
or Rice bird is also known as the American Or
tolan. GOOSE" in his Birds of Jamaica, saws:
Butter bird ortolan, Rice bird" Applet6h's
American Enc: .'Ortolan. Bunting" Ameri-
Bunting" Chambers Enc: "Ortolan, Bunt-
ing, &C." ZelTs Enc: ''Ortolan, Bunting"
Webster:s Die: "Ortolan (Garden) a Singing
bird; the Eurberza hortulana." Worcesters
DC. under a wood cut Of the Rice bird. saws it
belongs to the family Fringillid@ (Finches.l
Here are a few of mag authorities I could give
more), not one Of whom mentions the OrtOlan
among the Rails (Rallus). He is in every case
spoken of as Bunting or Frngilla. Icome
now to the only exception to this rule Mr.
Smith and ''W.F.R." in selecting DIR. COues for
their sole authority are rather unfortunate. as
that ornithOogst not only contradicts all others,
but cO,atrdGlicts himself In several OF his works
find, Carolina Rail, SOra, "Ortolan." Quota
ton marks not over OrtOlan in his '.Key to
American Birds. In his general treatise, page
I'D, ne says: 1.-The name OrtOlan applied by
some to the Rice bird and by others to the Caro-
tina Raj is strange misnomer, the Ortolan
being a fringiine bird Of Europe"
The Rice bunting is a genus of the family Erin
glilidae. Audubon shows the slight subdivision
when he writes 1.-THE buntings scarcely differ
from the finches in any other character than the
KNOB on the palate" DR.. Coues should not
think it strange that some people cali the rice
bird Ortolan, but it is passing strange for an
ornthOlogist, who furnishes texts books for
schools and taxidermists. to call a rail fipch
Mr.: H. NJ. Smith also says: The name of Prof.
Baird is cited as the authority for the technical
name gwen as belonging to the ortolan and
this name. DR.. Coues adds. Is adopted by all
United States writer's. Mr.. s. should not quote
from scientific work unless he knows how to
read it. In this instance he does injury to Prot
b. and all late United States writer's DR.. Coues
in writing upon the rail, gives below the names
ences to the reader. among them Prof. B. and
G., dc. None of them may have mentioned the
Ortolan (and have read many of them that do
nOt). and yet Mr.. Smith makes it appear as if
Dr. Coues cites Prof B. and all late United States
writer's, &C.. as authorities for this name
september IA, 1883. &c. T. A."