Ornithological Nomenclature: its History and 

 Reason. 



by 

 OREOORY M. .MATHT:WS. F.K.S.E.. Etc 



So much misunderstanding appears to exist in the minds of 

 field ornithologists as to the rules governing the names of the 

 birds they see. that I have been asked to give some simple ex- 

 I>lanations of the confusion apparent. 



There nre at i>resent no rules governing the vernacular 

 names used in connection with birds, as these must necessarily 

 vary according to the usage of the country where the birds live, 

 and the language u.sed by the inhabitants thereof. In order 

 to facilitate intercour.se between bird observers in various coun- 

 tries, it has been unanimously accepted that the medium of 

 Latin (a dead language) be used. Con.sequently, in the older 

 days scientific treatises were written wholly in Latin, whether 

 the writers were English, French or Swedes, as the case might 

 be. As progress was made in mechanical means of locomo- 

 tion in the last century, scientists became familiar with the 

 vernacular of many countries, and Latin fell more and more 

 into disuse. Tt may be interpo.sed that at the end of the 18th 

 century a French explorer arrived in a distant and almost un- 

 known country, and was surprised to meet with a Roman Catho- 

 lic missionary, the only European, but not a Frenchman: I be- 

 lieve Portuguese They managed to converse in Latin!! 

 Such a possibility to-day is unimaginable. 



It was. however, impossible accurately to interpret the ver- 

 Tinculnr names without the medium of Latin, and so it became 



