(492 ) 



ON SOME NECESSARY ALTERATIONS IN THE 

 NOMENCLATURE OF EIRDS. 



By GREGonV M. MATHEWS. 



SINCE tlie j)iiblication of my Ihndlist, less than tliree years ago, I liave noted 

 many alterations in tbe nomenclature there accepted. As state<l in the 

 preface, I followed the Ilaiu/list of liirds in the liiitish Miixrnm, which was then 

 Hearing completion. That work, however, regarded the Xllth Edition of Linnc-'s 

 Systema Naturae as the commencing point of binomial nomenclature, whereas it is 

 now generally accoi)teil that tbe year IToS and tiie Xtli Edition of Linne's Si/xtemn 

 Naturae sliall mark that inauguration. It seems only a matter of time before 

 British ornithologists fall in line witii the rest of the scientific world, and I have 

 therefore resolved to conform to the laws formulated liy the International Zoological 

 Congresses, and recognize 1758 as the starting-point. 



Recognition of the laws proposed in the InternatidUiil Code on Zoological 

 Nomenclature prohibits tbe adoption of names iutrodiu^ed in works in which the 

 principles of binomial nomenclature are not applied. The law on this matter, 

 otherwise strictly enforced, has been contravened with regard to tbe '■ Brissonian 

 genera." Brisson was a non-binomial writer, yet many of the generic names met 

 with in his work have been utilized as if correctly introduced. I cannot accept any, 

 and the provision of substitutes has sometimes been a difiBcnlt task. I have 

 constantly referred to C. Davies Sherboru's admirable work, tbe I/irfex Animalium, 

 and have continually bad to regret the admission of tbe " Brissonian genera" into 

 that most valuable compilation. If they had been omitted or even recognized as 

 of only historical interest my task would have indeed been much lighter. As it is 

 I can only state that the accuracy of Mr. Sherborn's work is most remarkable. 

 Only those who have been engaged in nomenclatoiial research can gauge tlie 

 tremendous amount of work that has been exjiended in the production of such a 

 publication. In ])roposiug tlie names to be adopted in place of the ones at present 

 illegally in vogue "ex Brisson" I cannot claim that all such introductions are linal, 

 and only oiler them and invite criticism so that by co-o[ieratinn finality may be 

 earlier attained. In order that this purpose may be soon achieved 1 am attaching 

 a list of names which seem to need alteration, having no connection with Australian 

 ornithology, but which have cropped up whilst I was endeavouring to ascertain the 

 correct names of Australian birds for my Ilaiidli.st. By this action I hope to 

 interest my American and Continental friends whose writings I have freely made 

 use of and whose studies of uomeuclatorial problems largely exceed my own. 



I have not made np these lists with the intention of " upsetting " any names, 

 but with the idea that only strict adherence to the laws will institute stability, and 

 my motto coincides with that of the American Ornithologists' Union, " Zoological 

 Komenclature is a means, not an end, of Zoological Science." I perhaj]s ditier 

 from that body in some of my methods, but plead that tbe laws should be observed 

 even when they clash with " general consent " for tbe time being. I have been 

 much impressed with the total inadequacy of this as a reason for the retention of 

 any name during the course of my investigations, names chosen by that method 



