REMARKS CONDUCIVE TO THE IMPROVEMENT, &C. 27 



ing the innovation. But it did not. From the alteration of a let- 

 ter to the alteration of the laws of the land, reform will take place, 

 however great the authority which opposes it, — hand joined in hand 

 would in vain attempt to stem the tide of improvement. Wilson 

 effected some beneficial changes in names, such as Orchard Oriole 

 instead of I5astard Oriole. I will quote some of his comments on 

 this name : — " I cannot but take notice of the name which natural- 

 ists have bestowed on this bird, and which is certainly remarkable. 

 Specific names, to be perfect, ought to express some peculiarity, 

 common to no other of the genus, and should, at least, be consistent 

 with truth ; but in the case now before us, the name has no one 

 merit of the former, nor even that of the latter, to recommend it, 

 anil ought, henceforth, to be rejected as highly improper and calcu- 

 lated, like that of Goats?icker, [^properly Nightjar, Vociferator, N. 

 WoocT], and many others equally ridiculous, to perpetuate that 

 error from which it originated." It is to be wished that Wilson 

 had always acted on the same liberal and fearless principle ; but, in 

 several instances, as in that of the Aquila leucocephala, he has al- 

 lowed baneful custom to overcome his reason : he asserts the specific 

 name. Bald, to be '' equally improper and absurd ; and yet says, 

 '' the appellation, however, being now almost universal, is retained 

 in the following pages." But Audubon, instead of yielding to 

 what he knew to be wrong, corrects the error, and calls the bird, 

 '^ White-headed Eagle." Even Audubon is not entirely free 

 from the charge of following in the sheep-track, as it were, as 

 may be seen by the following passage; — ^^But names already given 

 and received, whether apt or inapt, I am told, must not be meddled 

 with. To this law I humbly submit, and so proceed, contenting 

 myself with feeling assured that many names given to birds might, 

 with much benefit to the student of nature, become subjects of 

 reform."* I should hardly have thought that a writer of so strong 

 a mind as Audubon, would, merely because he had been told so and 

 so, have sacrificed to authority what he knew to be for the good of 

 the ornithological student. However, the greatest minds have their 

 failings. 



• Ornithological Biography, vol. i., p. 394. 



