On Thu, 1 Feb 1996, Dennis Paulson wrote:
> None of the others has been "officially" split, as the AOU Check-list
> committee has not yet published the very deliberations that have been going
> around the birding community for many months. Rumor has it (and freely
> dispenses it, apparently) that all the other species will be split, into 3,
> 2, and 2 species respectively. I'm not sure what common names the
> committee has finally chosen for a few of the species, so I'll pass on
> that. We'll have Spotted Towhees and Bullock's Orioles again, anyway.
> Stay tuned. As soon as any new decisions appear officially, I'll be happy
> to post them on tweeters.

Sharp-tailed Sparrows are on that list, too (though they are not Cascadian).
The secrecy that surrounds the unveiling of these splits (more properly
"un-lumps" in most cases, as they were originally recognized as distinct
species) is silly. The dates when *new scientific names* are published are
important to keep track of, as this is the basis of nomenclatural priority
(and premature use of names before types are designated, etc., can be a
problem), but the decrees of a committee that merely decides which
already-published species names are to be regarded as the sanctioned ones
have no bearing on priority. Why doesn't the AOU just issue a press release
or something after the committee meets and makes its decisions, saying
"These are the official splits and lumps: adjust your records accordingly"?
If the actions of this committee serve any purpose other than providing
ground rules for listers, that service is delayed until the Official List
is published (a lapse of about a year in this case). What earthly purpose
is served by the secrecy?

David Wright
dwright at u.washington.edu