192 OBSERVATIONS ON THE NOMENCLATURE OF 



Fantailj Pandicilla cyanecula — names which, in our opinion, scarce 

 admit of an objection. This is the Phcenicura Suecica of Selby. 



The species termed by Mr. Wood the ** Sibilous Brakehopper" 

 (vulgarly Grasshopper Warbler), we now prefer designating the Si- 

 bilous Locustell ( Locusiella sibilatrix), as being more euphonious, 

 and consequently more likely to be adopted by the fastidious. Grass- 

 hopper Warbler we reject as transgressing the rule laid down on the 

 outset, that each genus should possess an English name exclusively 

 its own. — Selby includes this bird in the genus Salicaria ; but, al- 

 though it has a close affinity to that genus, its comparatively long 

 hind claw at once separates it from the Reedlings. Its haunts and 

 habits are, moreover, entirely different. 



The members of the genus Salicaria are, even by Ornithologists, 

 indifferently termed Wrens or Warblers ; but this is an outrage 

 upon the principles of science, and we see no objection to naming 

 these birds Reedlings. Sedge Reedling (S. phragmitis, Selby), 

 and Marsh Reedling ( S. armidinacea, Selby), point out, with suffi- 

 cient accuracy, the respective localities to which the species are 

 most partial. Fen Reedling has been proposed for the last-named 

 bird ; but as the alteration is extremely slight, it is not worth while 

 adopting, even supposing it to be an improvement. 



Brake Nightingale has been used provisionally. Brake is not 

 here employed in the botanical sense of the word, to denote the 

 Pterus aquilina, but in the common meaning. Song and Red-tailed 

 Nightingale have been proposed, but neither of them are sufficiently 

 exclusive ; and the practised Ornithologist must be fully aware of 

 the difficulty of selecting any specific appellation that would not be 

 subject to numerous objections. 



Mr. Wood adopts Fauvet and Ficedula for the frugivorous divi- 

 sion of the Sylviadw, instead of confusing these birds under the 

 names of Warbler and Whitethroat. Garden Fauvet ( F. hortensis), 

 Blackcapt Fauvet ( F. atricapil/aj, Whitethroated Fauvet (F. cine- 

 reaj, Whitebreasted Fauvet ( F. garntla). The latter is called 

 the Garrulous Fauvet in the Song Birds; we conceive, how- 

 ever, that its Whitethroated congener would be about a match 

 for it in garrulity, and, therefore, now prefer calling it the White- 

 breasted Fauvet, as proposed by Mr. Blyth. 



Redeyed Whinling. This is given instead of Dartford Warbler, 

 so called because the bird was first met with in England near Dart- 

 ford : it has, however, since been known to occur in many other 

 localities, and the term is, accordingly, objectionable. Whinling is 



