4 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 
is called in scientific language Platycercus eximius, eximius- 
being a Latin word meaning ‘‘excellent, ’’ on account 
of the striking beauty of this showy bird. 
In commencing this subject, I mentioned that indivi- 
duals of a species usually produced young like themselves. 
But they do not always do so; the Ring-necked Parra- 
keet, for instance, not unfrequently produces a yellow 
young bird, quite different from its ordinary green off- 
spring. Such an individual is said to belong to a 
variety of the species ; it came from green parents, and 
for all we know, may, if it has the chance, produce green 
young in its turn—may “‘ throw back, ’’ as breeders say. 
If, however, common green Parrakeets never produced 
yellow young, and if in a certain district, all the Parra- 
keets of a certain Palwornis type were yellow, we should 
call this a species; it would probably be known as 
Palewornis luteus, luteus being the Latin for ‘‘ yellow.’ 
We should presume that these birds were the offspring of 
yellow parents, and would in their turn produce yellow 
young—would ‘‘breed true, ’’ as is commonly said. 
Every variety, therefore, has a chance of becoming 
a species, and every species must have once been a 
variety, if the theory of the evolution of species from 
pre-existing species be admitted, as it is generally 
now-a-day 
It will thus be seen that the distinction between species 
and yariety is a piece of zoological snobbery, so to speak ; 
if a bird’s antecedents are all right and a likeness has 
been handed down from father to son indefinitely, as far’ 
as we can see, he belongs to & ‘‘ good species :’’ but if 
