ORNITHOLOGICAL SYNONYMY. 



INTRODUCTION 



" La determination precise des especes et de leurs caracteres distinctifs fait la 

 premiere base sur laquelle toutes les recherches de I'histoire naturelle doivent 

 etre fondees. Les observations les plus curieuses, les vues les plus iiouvelles, per- 

 dent presque toute leur merite quand elles sent depourvues de cet appui ; et 

 nialgre I'aridite de ce genre de travail, c'est par la que doivent commeneer tons 

 ceux qui se proposent d'arriver a des resultats solides." — Cuvier. 



" Si la nomenclature est indispensable a connaitre pour etre en rapport avec 

 tous les savans, la synonymic n'est guere moins necessaire pour reconnaitre avec 

 certitude le nom qui doit etre adopte de preference a tout autre, et surtout pour 

 lire les ouvrages des auteurs anciens, ou de ceux qui n'ont point suivi la nomen- 

 clature systematique." — DeCandolle. 



" The vast mass of synonyms which it has now become the laborious but in- 

 dispensable task of the systematic naturalist to unravel, forms a most serious im- 

 pediment to the progress of the science." — Strickland, MS. 



It is well known to every one who has worked out any branch 

 of natural science^ and even to those who have only partially en- 

 gaged in similar research, that no department requires so much 

 patience and impartiality, and shows so little apparent result in 

 comparison with the time and labour bestowed, yet is withal so 

 necessary and essential to the clear understanding of the subject, 

 as that of unravelling the Hynonymy or the various names by 

 which the same object has been over and over again designated. 

 In Zoological and Botanical science, synonymy has of late in- 

 creased to an enormous extent, and the space necessary to enu- 

 mej'ate the names that have been applied to each species is equal 

 to — sometimes more than, — what would be required for a detail of 



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