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a larger expression of opinion. Both unionists and antiunionists have been inclined to claim the silent members. In this both are mistaken. From the point of view of our premise of the desirability of taking into the union as large a part of the church as possible this factor is of importance. It cannot be assumed with safety that even a majority of those who refrained from voting will acquiesce in the union and will not be sufficiently interested to vote themselves out as provided by the proposed legislation. Indifference was not the only cause of a small vote. Many there were who while not enamoured with the proposed union recognized the force of the economic arguments in its favour and decided not to oppose it, though in reality preferring to retain their Presbyterian connexion. When it became evident on the first vote that there was a very substantial opposition, this element expressed its real preference as is indicated by the second vote. The fact that the consummation of union is now so near approaching and that a further vote would necessarily be final should tend to bring a more general response than on the two previous occasions.

The votes in the General Assembly on the more important issues have indicated a division of four to one in favour of union. It is frequently assumed-it is submitted, improperly -that these votes represent the sentiment of the church membership. The Presbyteries and superior church courts are not representative bodies in the sense in which our Provincial Legislature and House of Commons are representative. The delegates to the Assembly express their own personal views and not necessarily those of the congregations which they 'represent.' In the selection of a minister or an elder by a congregation his attitude toward Church Union is infrequently an issue. It is not, therefore, correct to assume that the General Assembly accurately reflects the sentiments of the church membership. A rather unusual factor entered into the vote of 1921 which indicates the danger of placing too much reliance on the Assembly's votes as representative of church opinion. It was explained by one of the sponsors of the resolution already referred to that the term 'as expeditiously as possible' should be considered as meaning 'as slowly as pos

sible', and on this understanding a number of delegates voted for the resolution who otherwise would have opposed it.

It is further submitted that a new vote is desired not merely to indicate the total support of union but the nature and location of the opposition to it as a means of determining the prospects of success of the union plan. In the cities and larger towns union will produce little change in the organization of the church and only rarely will existing church affiliations be disturbed. Existing congregations will be maintained with little change; few ministers will be released for service elsewhere. It is in the villages and rural districts of the east that unnecessary duplication of effort exists and where real economies can be effected. It is in these districts that church connexions will be disturbed and new affiliations rendered necessary. There is reason for believing that in these districts much opposition to union exists. Whether this feeling is wise or justified is not material. To the extent to which it exists the benefits to be derived from union will be diminished. It is important that the facts in this connexion should be discovered and carefully considered.

It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the ultimate success of union depends upon the support of the church membership. The Presbyterian Church has been justly proud of its contribution to the development of the spirit of democracy. Traditionally it has trusted its people. Wisdom would seem to demand that at this crisis the Assembly should preserve an intimate contact with the church membership. If the members support its action its hand will be infinitely strengthened in its further proceedings. If it has proceeded too far in advance of the rank and file, the sooner that is realized the sooner will disaster be avoided. In the natural course of events the legislation consummating union will be considered by the Federal Parliament at its next session. It would not seem desirable that in requesting such legislation the Assembly should represent as its mandate and it will be the vote, not of the Assembly, but of the people, which will be asked-a declaration of nine years' antiquity which itself indicated in the previous four years a substantial increase in the opposition to union.

In the event of a further vote being taken it should be possible through the statesmanship and patriotism of moderate men on both sides to reach an agreement as to future action, based upon the result of the vote, which would be binding upon all but a negligible minority. Future policy could then be determined with definiteness and with a feeling of confidence in the support of the people, and for that reason with assurance of ultimate success.

D. MCARTHUR.

BIRDS OF EASTERN CANADA.

Birds of Eastern Canada. By P. A. Taverner, Department of Mines, Ottawa; second edition, 1922; price $1.00 cloth, 50c. paper.

NOT

long ago a second edition of Mr. P. A. Taverner's memoir, Birds of Eastern Canada, was issued. It is an official publication containing a great deal of useful and interesting matter, particularly in regard to the 'economic status' of birds; it is clear and concise and well arranged, but mistakes noticed in the first edition reappear. For instance, in the 'systematic index' more than a dozen different genera are classified, erroneously, as redpolls; and the ruddy duck is placed, not where it ought to be, in a genus by itself, but in the same category as the eiders and the scoters. In a new article which, by the way, stands sorely in need of editing, a recent arrival has been registered: Sturnus vulgaris, the common starling, has extended its range to southern Ontario. Already acclimatized in the United States, no doubt it has come to stay; and sooner or later, in addition to the house sparrow, another imported plague will ravage the country. To every bird mentioned in the body of the work has been assigned a name intended for general use, in French as well as in English; sometimes vernacular synonyms are added, most of them being local; and the scientific term by which ornithologists know each species, is also given. The English names-those intended for general use-have been taken, 'with as little modification as possible,' from the check-list of the American Ornithologists' Union; and, as will be shown later on, many of them are disappointing. French names, it is noted with regret, were expunged from the general index when the memoir was revised; and among the synonyms one looks in vain for la pie (Canada jay), la tourte (passenger pigeon), la flûte (wood thrush), le récollet (cedar waxwing), la nonne (junco), le ramoneur (chimney swift), le carouge commandeur (red-winged blackbird), le basque (whitewinged scoter), le cachigat (red-throated loon), and many

other vernacular names used by French-Canadians. But one finds le plectrophane des neiges (snow bunting), la grive polyglotte (mocking bird), and le troglodyte aéon (house wren). Are these the names a farmer's boy in the Province of Quebec is expected to use instead of oiseau blanc, oiseau moqueur, and roitelet?

Mr. Taverner advises all who are interested in ornithology to familiarize themselves with as many of the scientific names as possible. To that end, he might have included translations of them in an appendix; because, to the ordinary student, one who knows but little Latin and no Greek, they are unintelligible. Nor would it render the study of birds any the less attractive, if the meaning of some of their non-scientific names were likewise to be explained. The eagle, for instance, came to be so called on account of the darkness of its plumage; fulmars are probably 'foul mews,' and 'sea crows' are cormorants (corvi marini); as their several names imply, the dove dives in its flight, the sparrow flutters, and swallows on the wing flit to and fro; the coot has a stubbed tail, linnets feed on flax, and the shrike's notecall is a shriek. To know these simple things is at least as interesting as having to learn how to construe at sight such difficult passages as Arenaria interpres morinella, or Dryobates villosus leucomelas, or Agelaius phoeniceus arctolegus-the designations which, respectively, scientists apply to sub-species of the turnstone, the hairy woodpecker, and the red-winged blackbird.

Professional ornithologists entrench themselves behind the walls of science, and technical terminology serves them for a smoke-screen. In the United States they set themselves the task of assigning English names to the birds of North America; and, as closely as they dared, they have made them conform with a system of nomenclature previously elaborated for scientific purposes. A favourite practice of theirs has been to label a bird, common as often as rare, with the name of some American naturalist, more or less distinguished-or with the name of one of his friends or female relations-as in the case of Wilson's snipe, Cooper's hawk, the Blackburnian warbler, Lincoln's sparrow (Lincoln was one of Audubon's companions), Alice's (Alice Kennicott's) thrush,

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