I^S " Official Check-list of the Birds of Australia." [,M'^"oct. 



while maintaining that Mathewsia is not invalidated by a 



prior Matthewsia and Matt hew siitm, has proposed to change 



Mathewsia to Mathewsena. He claims that Antigone is 



invalidated by a prior Antigona. Professor Brasil has 



claimed that it is not. 



3. — Micropus (Meyer and Wolf, 1810) as a substitute for Apus 



(not Apos, Scopoh, Introd. Nat. Hist., 1777, p. 404), 



Scopoh, ib., p. 483. The " Check-list" name, Cypselns (not 



Cypsela, Meigen, 1800), Ilhger, 1811, is a substitute name 



for Micropus, which was a prior name used for a plant. 



That is allowed now, for zoologists and botanists agree to 



differ as to rules of nomenclature. 



Mathews, though providing substitute names in the Austral 



Avian Record, used very few of them in his 1913 hst. Members 



should reahze what is involved in " one-letterism." The law of 



priority caused 20 changes. " One-letterism " will possibly 



affect many more names. Synoicus {Synoicum), Spathopterus 



[Spatheroptera), Trichodere {Trichoderes), Heteromyias [Heteromyia) 



Limicola [Limicula), Leptotarsis {Leptotarsus), Tyto [Tyta), 



Coracina {Coracinits), Ptilotis {Ptilotus), Mimeta (Mimetes), 



Amimeta {Mimeta), and Meliphaga {Melophagns) are some of 



the Australian names concerned. 



Another class of name, however, might cause confusion. 

 Purnella (1914) resembles Prunella (1846). Toburides is a re- 

 arrangement of Biitorides, and Melomyza of Myzomela. Some day 

 it might be claimed that this class of name must go, though 

 Dacelo, as a variant of Alcedo, has stood the test of 100 years. 

 Apis (the bee) and Aphis have stood for over 150 years, and have 

 never caused confusion. Why anticipate and make trouble with 

 " one-letterism " ? Each case needs careful consideration, and no 

 general rule should be declared. 



Practice is inconsistent. The B.O.U. list claims Tyta invaUdates 

 Tyto (used by Mr. Mathews), and yet uses Galerida, a " mistake " 

 for Galerita, which is not invalidated by the prior use of Galerita. 

 Mr. Mathews has claimed that Melophagns invalidates Meliphaga, 

 and yet uses Coracina (1816), though there is a prior Coracinus 

 (1814). 



NAMES (12) DIFFERENT FOR VARIOUS REASONS. 



I and 2.—Aprosniictus, Gould, 1842 ; type by subsequent desig- 

 nation of Gray, 1855, Psittacus erythropterns, Gmehn. 

 Synonym. 

 Ptistcs, Gould, 1865 ; type, Psittacus erythropterns, Gmelin. 

 Aprosmictus must be used for the Red- winged Lory. Mr. 

 Mathews has suggested Alisterus, with Psittacus cyano- 

 pygius, Vieillot (the King Parrot), as type. 



^,—Mesocalius, type by monotypy (the only species), Cuculus 

 palliolatus, Latham. As this species cannot be determined 

 at present, this genus cannot be defined. Though Cabanis 

 included the genus Chalcites with one species, osculans, as 



