Subject: Re: AOU decisions
Date: Mar 16 10:58:01 1995
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


>I read yesterday that the AOU had unanimously agreed to split Baltimore and
>Bullocks Orioles. Does anyone know if any of the other rumoured splits (e.g.
>crossbills) took place? Clark Blake, Dept. Geology, WWU, Bellingham

Clark, where did you read this? The AOU check-list committee is long
overdue in its production of a new check-list, and it may be that they are
making more decisions than were apparent when I saw the manuscript copy of
the check-list well over a year ago. Burt Monroe, the chairman of the
committee, died this fall, and that may have set the process back. I doubt
very much if they will split the crossbills at this time, as there has to
be some considerable detective work to figure out which taxonomic name in
the literature goes with which "species." And they can't be species
without scientific names. "Type 2" etc. just won't suffice.

Wish I'd seen that Baltimore Oriole that a friend of mine had in his yard
just a block away from me when I lived in Wallingford; he told me about it
the next day!

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416