518 

 SUB-SPECIES AND THE FIELD NATURALIST 



BY 



E. C. Stuart Baker, f.l.s., f.z.s., m.k.o.u. 



A letter which has recently been circulated to all Members of 

 the British Ornithologists Union has attracted my attention, 

 because in it the assertion is made that modern scientific methods 

 are opposed to the work of the Field Naturalist. Now my own 

 work, sach as it is, has been until the last few j^ears purely that 

 of a Field Naturalist, and it seems to me that no assertion has 

 ever been made showing a profounder ignorance of the true facts 

 of the case, indeed it is probable that no scientific or thorough 

 field worker will attempt to refute the contra-assertion that JModern 

 Museum Naturalists are far move dependent on the field-oliserver 

 than were those of earlier times. 



The assertion in the letter is based on two grounds, first the 

 wicked and foolish system of trinomialism, or sub-specific classi- 

 fication indulged in by modern ornithologists, and secondly the 

 attempts of these same ornithologists, to enforce a system of 

 nomenclature, which shall be permanent and stable. I propose 

 to comment on these two accusations separately. 



In the first place, what is a sub-species or the form of variation to 



which we give the honor of a third name ? The generally accepted 



answer to this is as follows. A sub-species is a geographical race 



or variation differing in some respect from the form first described 



as the species, j^et linked to it by other intermediate forms found 



in intervening areas. It is essential, however, that to entitle such 



a variation to a trinomial, it should liave arrived at a point in its 



evolution sufficientlj" advanced to enable it to exist as a permanent 



form within some definite area. From this it will be seen that 



a sub-species is merely a term for a species in the making. Once 



Nature has advanced in evolution to the time, Avhen the links or 



intermediate forms have ceased to exist, then the sub-species will 



attain the full statiis of species, because thej will be definitely 



severed from their nearest allies. This will, of course, never 



happen in its entirety, for Nature is perpetually at work creating 



new forms and variations suitable to their environments, whilst 



destroying those which are unsuitable, and thus unfitted to carry 



on the work of perpetuation. In former days specimens frequently 



came to Museums and Private Collections with no date whatsoever 



as to where, when or how they had been collected, but the 



specimens, if sufficiently distinct from any known form, were 



very properlj?- given a name. To such an extent, however, did this 



obtain that birds were occasionally named after a locality in which 



they never occurred, simply because the person who eventuallj^ 



