1915] The Ottawa Naturalist. 23 



a trinomial one and thus carrying out Linneaus' great invention 

 in the spirit in which it was conceived. The result is logical 

 and necessary, but it should be remembered that such geo- 

 graphical races, varieties, subspecies or whatever the student 

 cares to call them are mere divisions of the species and the specific 

 binomial is to be regarded as a collective name, including all the 

 trinomial variants within its meaning. Thus a "Western Robin" 

 is as much an " American Robin" as the " Eastern one" and the 

 name Planesticus migratorius is equally applicable to any of the 

 forms into which the "American Robin" divides. It is in fact 

 only necessary to name subspecies either vernacularly or scien- 

 tifically where special exactness is required by context or scope 

 of consideration. In any event, it is wiser to ignore it altogether 

 unless there is definite and accurate knowledge for justification. 

 Subspecific designation should only be based upon examinations 

 and authoritative determination of specimens, and not upon 

 probabilities or assumptions. 



In every subspecifically divided form there is one race that 

 is called the "type form," loosely called the "species;" this is 

 scientifically named by repeating the specific name in the trino- 

 mial ; as, the Eastern Robin, Planesticus migratorius migratorius. 

 Theoretically this should represent the original stock from which 

 the variants departed but as these are often impossible to deter- 

 mine and scientific nomenclature must be exact, it means in 

 practice that this form is the one that was first discovered or 

 described and to which, by the canons of nomenclature, the name 

 must permanently adhere. The t3^pe race then, is really of no 

 more scientific importance than its co-races. 



The realization of the proper relative importance between 

 type and subspecific forms and the applications of sane principles 

 in practice will go far towards rectifying the abuses from which a 

 valuable system has suffered. 



Some subspecies are marked and conspicuous in character; 

 but as there must be species in all stages of making, some 

 exhibit but minute differences only evident from the examina- 

 tion of series of comparable material by trained perception and 

 judgment. 



Theoretically, the numbers of subspecies of a widely varying 

 race must be innumerable, but the most of them are too fine 

 for human recognition. The question is, of course, where to draw 

 the line. Subspecies are actual facts and do exist. Whether it 

 is serving the best interests of science to deferentiate and name 

 the finer variations that only an expert, especially trained, can 

 recognize is a subject, that is still being argued. However, 

 whether we hold with the "Splitters" or the "Lumpers" it 



