Book Notices and Reviews. 155 



A Bibliography of British Ornithology from the 

 Earliest Times — Supplement — A Chronological List of 

 British Birds. By H. Kirke Swann, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Etc. 

 Corresponding Fellow of American Orn. Union. London: 

 VVeldon & Wesley, 2, 3 and 4, Arthur Street, New Oxford 

 Street, 1923 : 5s. net. 



A distinct gain to serious ornithological literature, but 

 we will allow the Author's Preface (abridged) to speak for 

 itself, as follows : — 



" The purpose of this work, which forms a first supplement to 

 A Bibliography of British Ornithology, by W. H. Mullens, and the author, 

 is to give the names of all the species and subspecies of birds on the Uritish 

 list arranged in the order of the dates when they were first scientifically 

 described, the work in which the description and accepted specific name first 

 appeared being indicated. In l)rief it is an attempt to summarise the history 

 of the names of British birds. The nomenclature, etc.. are based on 

 ITartet, Jourdain, Ticehurst and Witherby's " Handlist of British Birds," 

 1912, with the necessary emendations which have since arisen. The list 

 of genera prefixed is likewise arranged in the order of their creation, and 

 only those genera actually employed in the following list are included. Those 

 names simply taken from old authors are indicated, as well as those created 

 from specific names, while original names are distinguished and their meaning 

 given. I have appended also alphabetical lists of discarded generic and 



specific names with their equivalents in the new nomenclature 



I have thought it better to deal with the names of Linnaeus binomially and 

 to leave trinomial names to be dealt with as the differing forms appeared, 

 since Linnoeus's names are basic and are automatically those of typical forms. 

 I am aware that names of typical forms should appear trinomially, 

 but Linnoeus was a binoniialist, in fact we revere him as the first 

 of all binomialists, although we forthwith proceed to turn his 

 binomiils into trinomials. Not that I complain of this, for in the use 



of trine n.'a^s I am one of the earliest and in, recent )ears, one of the worst 

 sinners. Personally I object altogether to the conception of one bird as a 

 fixed species and of another as a subspecies or variety of the first. Groups 

 of forms, each of equal value, of which the first, is regarded as typical merely 

 for the sake of method, is the only correct conception of species in modern 

 ornithology. — H.K.S." 



Obviously the work has been compiled with minute care 

 and research on the above lines, and, whatever points of 

 controversy it may contain, it is the last (not final) word on its 

 subject and a w'ork no ornithological student can afford to be 

 without. Its concise and comprehensive character, ease of 

 reference, etc., alone will commend it to the busy ornithological 

 student. 



