CLASSIFICATION. 3 
rather different. So we say they are birds of another 
genus or style. 
Yet it is perfectly obvious that both of these collec- 
tions of species have much in common—there 1s a famu- 
dy resemblance between them, as we say. Hence, the 
Indian green long-tailed Parrakeets, and the Australian 
many-coloured broad-tailed Parrakeets, are both said 
to belong to the family Psittacide. 
The classical name is used in order to make our books 
intelligible to naturalists all over the world, who may 
not know our particular language. So, also, we use 
@ special word, compounded from two Greek ones to 
express the long-tailed green Parrakeets of India— 
Paleornis. This means ‘“‘the bird of old,’’ these 
Parrots having been the first known to the ancients, 
who called them by the name Psitiacus, which means 
Parrot. The word Psittacidey means ‘‘ the family of 
Psittacus’’—the Parrot clan, so to speak. 
The Australian branch of the clan is also designated 
by a compound Greek name—Platycercus, meaning 
‘* broad-tailed.’” This name is of course of modern 
‘invention, though on classical lines. 
In order to designate the species, a specific name, 
generally Latin, is tacked on to the name of the genus. 
Thus, the Rose-ringed Parrakeet is called Palwornis 
torquatus, torquatus meaning “‘ringed.’’ The plum-head- 
ed is called Palwornis cyanocephalus, cyanocephalus (which 
happens to be Greek) meaning blue-headed. 
Similarly, the most familiar species of broad-tailed 
Australian Parrakeet, known in English as the Rosella, 
