146 Monthly Conversaziones oj R. A. O.U. [isf'o"t. 



aqiiila for the Greater Frigate-Bird. Tliis name was given to 

 the Ascension Island Frigate-Bird, which was quite a dirStinct 

 species from that inhabiting Aiistrahan seas ; hence another name 

 must be found for the Austrahan bird. Changes of this nature 

 were, of course, in addition to those demanded by the law of 

 priority. 



Mr. Mattingley stated that he would confine his remarks to the 

 broader aspect of the case, which will be helpful to those that deal 

 \\ith ornithology from a popular point of view. To this end he 

 gave a very compressed account of the reason for the use of 

 nomenclature as applied to ornithology. All admit that birds are 

 distinguished from other animals, hence the need of placing them 

 in a separate class. Next, we must inquire how they are related, 

 and separate those that are like from those that are unlike. 

 Nearly every leader of ornithology has introduced his own 

 system. Naturally, a harvest of confusion has been reaped, and 

 but little golden grain garnered. Remodelling has been rendered 

 necessary. We have to construct the family tree or genealogical 

 table, which will show the affinities of birds — i.e., indicate their 

 genetic or blood relationships, and establish them with as few 

 breaks as possible, after investigating their structural affinities 

 or morphological characters. For convenience, stability, and 

 harmony, biologists have invented an arbitrary naming of these 

 groups, such as class, order, family, genus, and species, which 

 they have further subdivided. For the absolute fixity in and 

 basis for names, the International Congress of Zoological Nomen- 

 clature chose the loth edition of Linnaeus. The acceptance of 

 this rule, which I strongly urge you to support, aims at the 

 prevention of future haggling, and should attain a fixity in 

 designation for organized beings. The strongest feature of the 

 International Code is what is known as the law of priority. By 

 this law the correct name for any bird is that given by its first 

 describer. The British and United States Governments have 

 dropped their insularism and have standardized their ship-building, 

 munition and air-craft factories, to cope with the vast problems 

 set by the war. Zoological science also requires this standardiza- 

 tion and organization. Australians, much as they respect Mr. 

 Campbell as a pillar of Australasian ornithological science, cannot 

 follow Mr. Campbell's contentions and disjoint the vertebrae of 

 zoological science. 



Dr. Nicholls, Messrs. A. G. Campbell and F. E. Wilson also 

 took part in the discussion. 



The chairman congratulated the debaters on providing an 

 educative and instructive evening. He could not agree with Mr. 

 Campbell. Gould's position in Australia was not analogous to 

 that of Linnaeus, the founder of binomial nomenclature in the 

 Old World. Gould changed in the " Handbook " names used in 

 the " Birds of Australia." Mr. Campbell limited his proposal 

 to endemic species. These species of the Australian avifauna, 

 which contains representatives of " every widely-spread family 



