MA TIlJ:WS--Oriilth'ln,j;raI Xovv'vrlatiire. 19 



Systeiiia Naturae was jmhlislied. "Brisson. probably recognis- 

 ing the superiority of the nomination used, and the inferiority 

 of the ornitliological work, drew attention to tlie fact that he 

 disagreed witli it. ;nid that his own work was prior in compila- 

 tion, though later in comj»let-ion. Brisson had, of course, 

 used the polynomial method of naming his birds as to his 

 species, though grouping them in genera, which, of course, was 

 not novel, but had been more or less in use for years. Hia 

 work, however, consisted of six volumes with detailed descrip- 

 tions of the birds in French and Latin, while Linne's birds were 

 com]>ressed into a hundred and fifteen pages of short Latin diag- 

 noses. It was consequently much easier to recognise birds 

 from Brisson 's Avork than from that of Linne. and his work 

 was continually referred to. A twelfth edition of Linne's Sys- 

 tema Naturae was brought out, and in that he included the 

 majority of Brisson's species, restricting to them binomial 

 names. As above noted, the polynomial method of nomination 

 consisted of one, two, three or more names. Confusion was 

 later caused by quoting the names consisting of two words as 

 if they Imd been proposed by users of the binomial method. 

 Though attacked by the polynomialists. the binomial method 

 immediately obtained universal usage, and in a very few years 

 polynomialism became extinct. Writers in every language 

 adhered to the Linnean method, and used only two words for 

 the specific names, accepting the Linnean genera. As. however, 

 Brisson had been a more thorough ornithologist, with more 

 maTerinl, he had proposed more genera, and workers accepted 

 sojne of these, additional to the Linnean ones, following Linne's 

 own example, as he had accepted some in his twelfth edition. 

 .\gain n complicntion ensued, as Linne had selected as a gene- 

 ric name a word commonly in use yn-eviously in connection with 

 the bird. Brisson had indej»endently done the same, and while 

 in some instances the usage of both coincided, in others disagree- 

 ment occurred, through there being two or more names pre 

 viously in use by different workers. 



New species were continually being recognised by students 

 in every country, the '^Systema Naturae" and the "Ornithology" 

 indicnting the species known. These were describerl by the 



discoverers, and as intercourse was slow and difficult, it soon 

 becfime known that the same species had been independently 

 nnmed by two different people. At once the earnest ornitho- 

 logist recoirnised the right of priority, and used the name given 

 by the enrliest discoverer, even when it had not been published 

 first. Tlius priority became customary, .nnd hns so been main- 



