47



on Knoivledge revealing Ignorance.



on the local representatives of Chamcepelia passerina which are

all regarded as distinct species.


Although I consider the binomial system, as applied to all

constantly differing forms of life, far more simple than the

modern trinomial system ; it cannot be denied that the latter, if

judiciously applied, may express relationships more accurately

than the former ; but as it often is applied, it entirely misre¬

presents the relationships of such forms as originally had a

common origin ; giving to the offspring of great antiquity the

same rank as to that of yesterday.


For birds which only differ markedly in the colouring of

the soft parts (and a study of the field-notes published by various

collectors show that these are sufficiently numerous to be worth

consideration) I should consider subspecific rank amply sufficient;

but before naming these, it would be as well for the technical

worker to assure himself that such differences were constant to

locality, and not due to either youth or season.


Now it is obvious that unless a collector resides for at least

one year in the native birth-place of a species, he cannot

satisfactorily decide to wliat extent its changes of colouring,

either of plumage or soft parts, are permanent, whether they are

sexual, juvenile, or local ; but if he brings back living examples

and either hands them over to the Superintendent of a Zoo¬

logical Gardens or to the owner of suitable aviaries, these

questions can be satisfactorily settled at home, and thus the

describer of species and subspecies can be safeguarded.


In Nature the more one knows, the more one discovers of

the unknown ; and therefore each seeker after knowledge should

recognize with gratitude every little mite of assistance given to

him by his fellow-workers, and not assume an attitude of superior

wisdom because he, sitting at a desk with a large library at hand, is

intelligent enough to describe in detail the skins which lie before

him, and indicate in what respects they differ from their nearest

allies; nor if he be a student of bird-life, and privileged there¬

fore to understand the real creatures as the exclusively museum-

naturalist can never hope to do, must he regard with contempt

the sometimes tedious and often perplexing labours of the

systematise since without him it would be impossible for either



